


Cavities

by Starlight1395



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jamie is the leader of the Jae Protection Squad, M/M, Rumors, Slow burn ish?, Smut, assistant Wonpil, college student Dowoon, college student younghyun, lowkey power bottom Younghyun, manager sungjin, mild PTSD, past abusive relationships, rumors of rape, scandals, sugar daddy Jae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-11-15 07:10:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 42,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18068912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395
Summary: Kang Younghyun was lost, broke and his phone was shattered in a city he didn't recognize. Luckily for him, a handsome stranger took care of him and sent him home safe and sound.Park Jaehyung is one of the biggest producers at JYP entertainment, but he hated how the people around him always sucked up to him. He just wanted friends, or maybe something more?When rumors of a scandal involving Jae start to circulate, Younghyun doesn't know what to believe. On top of that, things that Younghyun had tried for years to forget about start to rear their ugly heads again, but will he be able to trust Jae enough to find comfort in the man's company?





	1. Chapter 1

“Oh jesus fucking christ…” Younghyun was close to tears. His train had stopped despite the fact it was supposed to be a straight shot back to his city. Instead, he was forced to get off at a stop he didn’t know, in a city he wasn’t familiar with. He was broke, his phone was dead, and when Dowoon found out what mess Younghyun had gotten himself into, the younger boy was going to tear him a new one.

He looked around, but literally nothing looked familiar. He had never been to this city before, and had no idea where to even start to try to get home. He frantically hit the power button on his phone, hoping that maybe, just maybe, it would magically turn back on for just long enough to make a call. It stayed blank.

“Shit- SHIT!” Younghyun whispered to himself before bumping into someone and shouting the same word loudly. His phone tumbled to the ground and shattered against the sidewalk. The black glass scattered at his feet, and Younghyun fell to his knees to quickly gather the absolutely ruined device. “O-oh god what am I going to do- do now?”

“Oh my god I’m so sorry,” The person said, kneeling and gathering some of the shattered glass in his hand. Younghyun noticed how slim the person’s finger’s were, and how they were wearing several rings. He looked up and came face to face with one of the most beautiful people Younghyun had ever seen. “Are you okay?” The man asked, looking upset.

“What?” Younghyun muttered like an idiot, his attention transfixed on the man’s warm brown eyes.

“Are you alright? I didn’t mean to bump into you.” The man said again, helping Younghyun stand with his empty hand.

“Ah, I’m fine-” Younghyun found his words cut off by an onslaught of tears that started streaming down his face.

“Oh shit!” The man’s eyes widened. He pulled Younghyun off to the side of the walkway, his hands fluttering around the student, who was gasping for breath through his tears.

“H-hey! You gotta calm down okay?”

“I don’t- don’t know where I am and now my phone is fucked and I’m broke as sh-shit and I’m going to get mugged aren’t I? I’m gonna get fuckin kidnapped or some shit and Dowoon won’t know what happened to me-” Younghyun babbled, rubbing his eyes. He was exhausted and scared and alone in a place he didn’t know. He might have been twenty one, but he was freaking the fuck out.

“Oh crap you’re lost and I just broke your phone-” The man began panicking too, his small eyes widening. “Crap, okay let me call Wonpil and we can figure something out. Where do you live?”

“Um… I go to school in Seoul,” Younghyun sniffled, finally calming down a little. The initial panic was starting to recede and crying definitely made him feel better. “I was visiting my parents for the weekend and had a straight shot train to the station around the corner from my apartment but there was something wrong with the train and they made us get off and I had no idea where to go for the connecting train… then they said it was too late and that I would need a new ticket, but I don’t get paid until next Friday and my bank account is drained because I just bought a new bass and-”

“Hey, slow down kid it’s alright,” The man said, his mouth quirking up in the corner. “Here, lemme call my assistant and get you something to eat and we can figure out something for you okay?”

“Oh my god,” The situation hit Younghyun all at once. “I’m going to be sold into human trafficking by a hot guy.” The man stared at him for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing loudly. Younghyun stopped fretting and stared back, his ears heating up at the sound of the man’s laughter.

“Well, I don’t know how much my word means but I promise I’m not going to sell you. I feel bad for breaking your phone, and if I let you wander the city broke and scared I’d be the biggest asshole in existence, so I’m offering that I take you to dinner so we can figure something out for you.”

“Really?” Younghyun was floored.

“It’s the least I could do,” The man looked away, his pale cheeks heating up a little. “I wasn’t watching where I was going and make you break your phone after all.”

“O-oh, okay.”

“I’m Park Jaehyung, by the way.” The man grinned and held out his hand.

“Kang Younghyun.” The boy took his hand and shook it, not noticing at all how firm Jaehyung’s grip was despite how almost dainty his fingers looked.

“Okay Kang Younghyun, what are you in the mood for?” Jaehyung asked, smiling at the boy.

“Um, anything I guess,” Younghyun muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was calm now, and was suddenly hit with the fact that he had bawled his eyes out in the middle of the street to a handsome stranger.

“Perfect, one of my favorite restaurants is around the corner.” Jaehyung’s grin softened when he saw how red Younghyun’s ears had become. He tugged on the boy’s arm, guiding him through the crowd towards the restaurant.

“Ah, welcome back,” The hostess bowed deeply when Jaehyung opened the door. “Would you like your usual table sir?”

“Yes please, thank you Auntie,” Jae smiled and the woman blushed. “I don’t know if you can tell, but I come here a lot.”

“It’s so… normal.” Younghyun breathed, smiling slightly.

“What were you expecting?” The man chuckled as the two weaved their way through the crowded tables to the empty one in the back, the only table free with four seats.

“I dunno, something god awful expensive and fancy.” The boy muttered, apologizing to someone when he accidentally bumped into them.

“And why were you expecting that?” Jae took off his jacket and draped it on the back of his chair. He pulled Younghyun’s chair out before the boy had a chance to do it himself.

“I dunno, maybe because your watch is worth more than an entire semester of tuition? Or because you have a belt buckle that could stock my fridge for months” Younghyun huffed, eyeing the shining wrist watch with disdain. Jae chuckled again.

“Yeah, well I’m just a normal guy. Nothing too fancy here.”

“So you’re rich and are trying to play it off as being humble.” Younghyun laughed, his neck warming at the sudden bluntless. He was still starving, exhausted and scared. He would apologize after he had something to eat.

“More like I’m rich and I actually am humble,” Jaehyung didn’t seem phased by Younghyun’s comment. “I was lucky enough to get a break with my music and have been producing for some pretty big groups, but I still grew up in a normal household with a normal family. That, and my friend Sungjin makes sure I don’t get an ego.”

“You’re… awfully open with strangers, aren’t you?” Younghyun commented after placing his order. Jaehyung thanked the woman after giving his order as well.

“I’m usually a pretty reserved, but I figured if I was honest with you, you’d stop thinking I’m going to sell you into slavery,” Jae smiled, his nose scrunching up with the action, causing his glasses to bounce on his face. “I know it sounds shady but I really do want to help.”

“I-”

“Jae what the hell did you do this time?” A voice called to them as a new face pushed through the customers to reach them. He was tall - not as tall as Jae but taller than Dowoon - with a shopping bag and a frown.

“Ah, my beloved Pillie-” Jae went to stand then the newcomer plopped the bag down in front of him.

“I swear you’re going to make me go grey before I hit thirty.”

“I mean, you’re getting close.” Jae grinned, digging through the bag.

“I’m only twenty seven! You’re the old man.” He pulled out the empty chair next to Jae and plopped down.

“Thirty two isn’t that old…” Jae muttered, looking to the side and playing with his bangs a little.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“There’s no way you’re thirty two.” Younghyun said without thinking.

“Well how old did you think I was?” Jae turned his attention to the boy with a smirk.

“I dunno… like twenty something?” Younghyun blushed and looked away with a frown. He didn’t like how sparkly Jae’s eyes were when he looked at him.

“I’m flattered,” Jae grinned and rested his chin on his hand. “See Wonpil, that’s how you make friends. Maybe if you were nicer, you wouldn’t be single still-”

“Shut up Jae hyung, if you’re going to flirt don’t do it when I’m here,” Wonpil rolled his eyes before turning to Younghyun. “I’m sorry for anything Jae might have done, or said, or broke.”

“Um, it’s fine,” Younghyun looked away, biting his lower lip a little. “It was my fault for not looking where I was going.”

“So he did break something.” Wonpil said, monotone.

“My phone-”

“Ah, I get it now.” Wonpil said, turning to Jae with a disappointed look.

“Look, it’s okay because you got what I asked for, right?” Jae asked, looking hopefully at the younger man, who huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Of course I got it,” Wonpil sighed. “I’m your assistant. It’s my job.”

“And here I thought you hung out with me because we were friends…” Jae trailed off dramatically, wiping away a fake tear.

“Hyung-”

“Anyway, this is for you,” Jae said, pushing the bag towards Younghyun. “As an apology.”

“What?” Younghyun looked in the bag and almost threw it back at the man. “I can’t take this!”

“Oh come on, I broke your other phone so this is a replacement.” Jae pushed the bag towards him again. Younghyun pulled out the box carefully, almost as if he was afraid to touch it. His old phone had been a little outdated. It still worked fine, thank you very much, but it was far from the most recent version. In his hands, however, was the newest phone in the line. He knew how much it cost, seeing how Dowoon had been lamenting over how he would never be able to afford it since it had been released to the public.

“Ah the case is in there too, and a portable charger.” Jae said, watching Younghyun with a smile - like he was waiting for the boy to open a birthday present.

“This is way to much-”

“Literally, let me do this,” Jae cut him off. “Just accept the gift Younghyun. Please?”

“There’s no point in arguing,” Wonpil said, not looking up from his phone. “He aggressively buys things for other people. The sooner you just let it happen, the better things will be.”

“Ignore him and turn it on,” Jae said, nudging Wonpil in the side to shut him up. “You should contact your friend, yeah? He’s probably worried.”

Younghyun realized he hadn’t told Dowoon about his current situation and quickly logged onto twitter. He realized that he didn’t have the younger boy’s number memorized and needed to go through social media to talk to him. He send Dowoon his new number and snapped the device into the case. Instantly, the phone started ringing with a facetime call.

“Where the FUCK are you hyung?” Dowoon shouted as soon as Younghyun picked up, causing everyone at the table and those at surrounding tables to jump.

“Hey Dowoonie,” He grinned sheepishly. “Um, so the trains got all messed up and I was kicked off at some random stop. I have no idea where I am really, and I broke my phone. I met someone named Park Jaehyung, who bought me a new phone and-”

“Wait, Park Jaehyung? From JYP?” Dowoon asked, his voice dropping. Younghyun glanced up a Jae, who nodded.

“Um, yeah?”

“Holy shit, you’re kidding me.”

“Nah man.”

“Park Jaehyung was number three on that DILFs thread I sent you last month.”

“Oh shit,” Younghyun glanced up, noticing how Jae and Wonpil were both biting back laughter so hard their eyes were watering. “You’re right.”

“And he bought you a new phone? Hyung do you know how lucky you are?”

“I mean, pretty lucky seeing how he’s still here and buying me dinner too.” Younghyun grinned wide, snickering at how Dowoon’s slightly pixelated face paled. Younghyun flipped the camera around, Jae waving with a grin and Wonpil pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Oh my god…” Dowoon sounded faint. “I- oh my god.”

“Dowoon, right? I’m flattered,” Jae grinned, leaning towards the phone. “I didn’t realize I counted as a dilf yet, but maybe there are some advantages to growing older.”

“Oh my god he knows my name now.”

“I’m gonna go,” Younghyun said, thinking of ways to hold this over Dowoon’s head when he makes it back to the apartment. “Our food is coming.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Dowoon’s voice became serious. “Are you going to make it home tonight?”

“Um…” Younghyun didn’t know. His eyes jumped to Jae quickly before tuning back to the call. “I don’t know but now that I have a new phone I can at least keep you updated-”

“He’ll be home, don’t worry,” Jae interrupted warmly. “Can’t let someone as pretty as him wander the city. Too many threats around here.”

“Threats like you?” Younghyun grinned at Jae, who flushed.

“Nah, I’m the good guy,” He fired back easily. “But there are definitely people who would want to take advantage of someone who’s lost and confused.”

“Just… get home soon okay? We have class in the morning and you know how our professor feels about skipping.”

“I’ll send him on his way after we eat, don’t worry Dowoon.” Jae chirped before taking another mouthful of his meal.

“Alright, I’ll let you go hyung. Stay safe, okay?”

“Bye Dowoonie.” Younghyun ended the call, feeling much better after talking with his long time friend. He had moved in next to Dowoon back when he was eleven and the younger boy was ten. Because of his birthday, Younghyun had been held back a year, which allowed the boys to get even closer. They went to the same college, Younghyun for Pediatrics and Dowoon for physical therapy. Dowoon was Younghyun’s brother, and vise versa.

“Dig in Younghyun,” Jae said through a mouthful of noodles, pushing the boy’s bowl closer to him. Younghyun glanced up and saw Wonpil had left at some point during the phone call. “Eat as much as you want. It’s on me.”

“You shouldn’t have said that,” he grinned, picking up his chopsticks. “I’m a big eater.”

“Good thing I’m a big spender.” Jae winked, and Younghyun told himself his ears heating up was from the temperature of his dinner and nothing else.

The two ate in silence, Younghyun keeping true to his word and downing his entire meal in minutes. Jae just smiled and slipped some of his chicken into his bowl. The younger boy tried to protest but remembered what Wonpil had said and quietly ate the chicken without a word.

“Feeling better?” Jae asked after Youghyun put his chopsticks down with a content grin.

“So much better.” the boy sighed, his stomach aching from how full he was.

“You said you go to school in Seoul?” Jae was typing something into his phone. Younghyun nodded as he picked at the last pieces of his meal, wondering if he would be able to eat any more. “Okay, I got you a Lyft. You just need to type in your address.”

“A lyft back to Seoul would be so expensive!” Younghyun leaned forward, his eyes widening as his bangs fell into his eyes.

“It’s the least I can do to make sure you get back safe,” Jae’s smile softened as he handed the student his phone. Younghyun added his address and felt his eyes pop out of his head at the total. He tried to cancel the request, but before he could Jae snatched the phone back and hit order. “There, he should be here in about twenty minutes.”

“I can pay you back when I get paid-” Younghyun was panicking a little. A phone and dinner was one thing, but it was going to be almost three hundred dollars just for a single ride and that was a little more than he was really comfortable with. Hell, he wasn’t even comfortable with dinner, let alone the phone, but he knew there was no getting out of letting Jae pay for those two things.

“Alright,” Jae grinned and tapped at something else on his phone. “Here, pay me back by giving me your number.”

“What?” That was the last thing Younghyun had expected.

“Well, I’m going to make sure you get home safely, and honestly I just want to keep talking to you. The only people in this city that treat me normally are Wonpil and Sungjin, and I work with both of them. It’ll be nice to- to have a new friend, I guess,” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “You seem really chill, which is a nice change from the stuck up assholes around here.”

“Oh… um, okay,” Younghyun took the phone and filled in his contact information, fighting back a blush. “You seem pretty chill for an old guy.”

“You know, if anyone else called me that I might get upset but the way you say it is… kinda cute.” Jae raised a single eyebrow and Younghyun choked a little.

“Th-thanks?” He muttered, handing the phone back.

“You’re welcome,” Jae took it and tapped away. Younghyun saw his new phone light up with a new message from an unknown number. “You know, Seoul isn’t that far away. If you wanted to get dinner again?”

“Are you asking me out?” Younghyun joked. His grin faded when he saw how serious Jae looked.

“I mean, if you wanted,” Jae shrugged. “Of if you wanna just hang out and let me buy you things that works too. If I’m considered a dilf, might as well spoil someone who catches my eye.”

“Why do you want to buy me things so badly?”

“I dunno. Maybe it’s because you look so cute when you get stuff.”

“C-cute-” Younghyun choked again, his cheeks heating up fully. There was nothing to blame his blush on this time.

“Ah, your ride is here,” Jae said, standing. Younghyun followed suit, his chest feeling weird. “I still have to pay for dinner, so I can’t walk you all the way to the car, but text me when you’re on the road.”

“Okay.” Younghyun jumped when Jae draped his jacket over his shoulders. It was heavy and smelled like cologne and instantly warmed the younger boy which told him it was not only expensive, but well made.

“Hopefully I’ll get to see you soon, Kang Younghyun.” Jae smiled and tilted his head.

“See you soon,” Younghyun ducked his head, tugging the jacket closer around him to ward off the chill of the evening. “Um, thanks for dinner, and the phone, and everything else…”

“No need to thank me,” Jae placed a hand on Younghyun’s arm, making the student look up quickly. “Just take care of yourself, yeah?”

“Y-yeah.” Younghyun nodded, his mouth pulling up.

“Okay, as much as I would love to keep talking, your ride is going to leave if you make him wait any longer.”

“Bye Jae hyung.” Younghyun said, finally looking Jae in the eye and smiling. The last thing he saw before turning away was the red dusting appearing under the wire rimmed glasses the elder wore.

He slipped into the car after checking to make sure it was the right one and pulled out his new phone.

 

 **Unknown Number:** Hopefully our second meeting won’t be as rushed

 

Younghyun grinned as he finally read the message Jae had sent him while they were still at the restaurant. He added the number to his contacts and responded.

 

 **You:** Well hopefully next time I won’t be panicking. Also, I made it to the lyft and I’m on my way home.

 **Park Jaehyung** : glad you didn’t get kidnapped and sold into slavery after I worked so hard to keep you safe!

 **You** : Well, I still have a ways to go before I’m in the clear. If you don’t hear from me, I’ve been taken away like the last cookie in the cookie jar.

 **Park Jaehyung:** No! You gotta make it home safe because you owe me a second date.

 **You** : Date huh?

 **Park Jaehyung:** Or friendly meeting, whichever you want

 **You** : Ah, we’re going through some woods so I probably won’t get any reception

 **Park Jaehyung** : Text me when you’re home okay?

 **Park Jaehyung** : Stay safe!

 **Park Jaehyung:** it was nice meeting you Younghyun

 

Younghyun smiled at his phone and locked it. He wished he had service so he could keep the conversation going, but he felt himself nodding off as the car sped down the wooded road. He was awoken by the driver when they made it to his apartment. Younghyun thanked him and got out, unlocking his phone and seeing the messages from Jae.

 

 **You:** Make it home safe

 **Park Jaehyung** : Good! Now go to bed. You looked exhausted at dinner

 **You** : Yes, dad

 **Park Jaehyung** : Normally when someone calls me that, it ends in a -dy but I’ll let it slide this time.

 

It took a moment for Younghyun’s sleepy mind to connect the joke, and when he did he felt his face burst into flames. How could Jae be so forward, he wondered as he typed out his response, the elevator rising up to his floor.

 

 **You** : Maybe if you earn the -dy I’ll call you that ;)

 **You** : I’m in my apartment safe and sound, no being stolen this time

 **You** : I’ll go to bed now

 **You** : it was nice to meet you too Jaehyung

 **Park Jaehyung** : sleep well Younghyun

 **You** : Night Jae


	2. Chapter 2

“So you’re telling me you just… bumped into him? And he what? Took pity on you?” Dowoon stared at Younghyun with a look that screamed ‘there’s no way this is true’.

“I guess so,” Younghun laughed, still comprehending what had happened the night before. “I was pretty pitiful. I mean, I literally cried in front of him.”

“And he asked for your number? And called you cute? And said he wants to buy you things?” Dowoon recounted the story in shock.

“Yup.” He chuckled, still thinking it sounded like more like a drama or some shitty internet story rather than real life.

“And you’re gonna… text him, right?”

“I… maybe?” Younghyun looked away when Dowoon blew up at him.

“Maybe?” Dowoon looked at his roommate with incredulous eyes. “Park Jaehyung is rich, hot and RICH and HOT and he wants to spoil you and you’re MAYBE going to text him back?”

“Look- I feel bad that he already spent so much on me,” The older boy frowned, fiddling with his new phone. It was so much larger and shiner than his old one, and it felt so foreign in his hands. “And like… what if he regrets what he did? If I text him again, it’ll give him a chance to take back everything.”

“Hyung, I think you’re thinking too much,” Dowoon frowned. He wished Younghyun would let nice things happen to him. The older boy had been through a lot, and as much as Dowoon tried to get Younghyun to rely on him, they both knew Younghyun would be more willing to bottle everything up than unload on the boy he thought of as his little brother. “He seemed nice. Besides, you’re always telling me to keep an eye out for opportunities.”

“But what if-”

“If you get stolen and sold, I’ll make sure your stuff goes to a good home.”

Dowoon cut him off with a smirk. Younghyun pouted and slumped more into the couch.

“Dowoon-” He started to whine when Dowoon checked his phone.

“Oh shit class starts in ten minutes.” He said, bolting up and snagging his backpack. Younghyun stumbled towards his own bag and grabbed the first jacket he saw before running out the door.

* * *

  
“Wait, where did you get that coat?” Dowoon asked as Younghyun slipped it off his shoulders. They managed to get into the classroom just moments before the professor put his bag down on his desk.

“What? Oh,” Younghyun looked at the jacket, his cheeks warming up. “Um, Jae gave it to me before I left. I guess I have to meet up with him at least one more time to give it back.”

“Thank god,” Dowoon breathed, pulling out his notebook. He was glad he shared at least one class with his roommate, even if Younghyun spent more time writing lyrics for songs no one would hear than he did paying attention. “I thought you were gonna throw away everyone’s dream. A hot rich guy hitting on you? I’m so jealous.”

“I guess…”

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“Are you going to text him?

“Class is starting.” Younghyun hissed as their professor started to drone on about something boring.

“And he’s blind as a bat so he won’t even notice you’re on your phone. Not like you don’t already spend this entire class on your phone anyway.”

“Fine…” Younghyun huffed and unlocked his phone. He stared at the conversation he and Jae had finished the night before and hesitated. He felt a sharp pain in his side from Dowoon nudging him and finally texted the man.

 **You** : Hey

 **Park Jaehyung** : Hey! You’re up early

 **You** : Haha yeah early classes suck

 **Park Jaehyung** : Oh shit yeah you said something about class

 **Park Jaehyung** : How’s class going?

 **You** : Boring as always

 **You** : Professor talks in a monotone voice that makes me want to scream

 **You** : But it’s a needed course to graduate so…

 **Park Jaehyung:** Well, when do you get out of class?

 **You** : Around three

 **You:** Why? Miss me already?

 **Park Jaehyung** : Maybe a little…

 **Park Jaehyung** : Let me know when you’re free I’ll swing by and pick you up.

 **You:** Okay sounds good

 **You:** Oh shit my professor sees my phone I gotta go

 **You** : See you later

 **Park Jaehyung** : See you later :)

 

“Well?” Dowoon whispered when he saw Younghyun slip his phone under his notebook.

“He’s going to pick me up after I get finished with classes.”

“Fuck yeah.” The other boy grinned, his excitement making Younghyun grin back. The elder was a little nervous, but now that he finally sent the messages he felt better.

Younghyun turned back to his professor and started taking notes, a small smile on his face the entire time.

* * *

  
“How were classes?” Jae asked as he parked his car and got out. He walked around just to open Younghyun’s door, causing the younger boy to blush.

“Um, boring,” He said, wishing he had said something more intelligent. “We have a paper due in two weeks, but I’m not going to start for probably a week and a half.”

“We love procrastination,” He laughed as he got back into the car. Soft music was playing on the radio, but Younghyun thought maybe it was just background music rather than something he was listening to for real. “So what are you in the mood for?”

“Huh?”

“Dinner?” Jae glanced at him from the corner of his eye and smiled at the boy, who shrugged. “Well, this is your area so you know what’s best. I’m good for anything as long as it’s not super cheesy.”

“Are you lactose intolerant or something?” Younhyung asked, thinking about the different places he liked to eat - most of the places were fast food because he barely had money to cover expenses. He couldn’t eat out anywhere fancy

“Yeah, actually I am,” Jae laughed and Younghyun decided he likes the sound. “It’s not super awful unless I eat too much it.”

“Why is it that people who are lactose intolerant never seem to care that they’re lactose intolerant?”

“Look, life is something that’s delicate and fragile. It can be ripped away suddenly, without warning. Why spend your time worrying about allergies when you can be focusing on living life to the fullest.” Jae said dramatically. Younghyun stared at him with wide eyes for a moment in silence before bursting into laughter.

“When you put it like that, I guess so,” Younghyun shook his head. “In that case, I always go to the McDonald’s around the corner. If you want to park at the apartment we can just walk. It’s really not that far.”

“Walking sounds nice,” Jae started the car up and pulled into the parking lot under the apartment building. Younghyun was a little nervous having him park there, seeing how the other cars were kinda dingy - it was a college apartment after all. All the drivers were college students - and seeing how Jae’s car is… very, very nice. It stuck out like a sore thumb. They parked and got back out, and for some reason Younghyun felt bad that the man had gotten out to open the door for him, just for them to get back out and walk in the end.

“Well? Lead the way.” Jae grinned. Younghyun jumped a little and started walking.

“Y-yeah it’s not that far,” He said quickly as they walked down the street. “So um, how was your day? Also, I was kinda thinking about this today but what should I call you? Cuz Jaehyung seems too formal and Jae seems too casual and I know you’re older than me and when I was in Canada no one used honorifics and I can tell you have an accent so I don’t know how you feel about those and-”

“Whoah there, are you nervous?” Jae grinned and took Younghyun’s hand easily.

“First of all, no need to be nervous! You’re right though, I grew up in LA so I never really understood honorifics until I came here. If you want to call me Jae hyung though, you can. If it’ll make you more comfortable.”

“Jae hyung… alright.” Younghyun smiled softly.

“Secondly, my day was crazy,” He continued, his fingers still holding Younghyun’s. He let the younger lead, but still walked with a purpose. “Sungjin’s boys are getting antsy because of the social media ban and honestly I can’t blame them. I’d go stir crazy if I was cut off from everything Though it’s kind of their fault for messing up on twitter. Wonpil threatened to quit again because I came in late with with coffee but he had already gotten me coffee and I just didn’t bother to read his texts, though he's always threatening to quit. He won't though. His job is too cushy to lose.”

Jae talked for the rest of the walk, and Younghyun smiled to himself. The elder talked in a very interesting way. His voice danced with his American accent, his Korean sounding both familiar and slightly foreign in Younghyun’s ears. It made Jae even more fun to listen to. He talked with his hands too - well, hand. Waving it around and accentuating parts of his story with movements that almost slapped someone who was walking in the opposite direction. Younghyun chuckled at how the elder’s ears lit up as he apologize to the kid he almost smacked across the face.

“There it is.” Younghyun said, pointing to the familiar golden arches across the street.

“Oh my god I haven’t have McDick’s in years.” Jae groaned, walking a little faster.

“McDick’s?” Younghyun laughed as he let Jae pull him along.

“Oh shit, don’t mind my mouth,” He said quickly. “I forgot I’m an ‘adult’ who’s supposed to be a ‘professional’ and stuff. I guess I just feel… like I’m back with my friends from home when I’m talking with you.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Younghyun bit his lip but his mouth turned up anyway. “I mean, I’m a twenty one year old college student, so I’m going to be dropping curses all over the place.”

“God I miss being twenty one,” Jae laughed, holding the door open for Younghyun. The boy slipped under Jae’s arm, and could feel the man’s warmth as he passed close by him. “Actually, no I don’t. Early twenties suck because you never know what’s going on and everything is going super fast.”

“That’s the best way I’ve ever heard it described.” Younghyun was a little shocked at how much what Jae said applied to him.

“ Here, you order first,” Jae said, tapping the order screen. “Get whatever you want.”

“Ah, I’ll just get this-” Younghyun said quietly, tapping on the dollar menu section.

“Younghyun, I said whatever you want,” Jae reached over him and tapped out of that folder. “Money isn’t an issue. Literally anything you want.”

“But-”

“Whatever you want.” he said again, softer. Younghyun sighed and slumped his shoulders a little. He quickly ordered one of the meals and instantly felt guilty. He had no idea how he let Jae buy him dinner, a new phone and a lyft home the night before. Maybe he was just that out of it from being lost that his inhibitions were shot.

“Oh sweet they have the shamrock shakes,” Jae grinned, his eye sparkling. “I’ll get it for you and steal some cuz drinking a whole one probably won’t be good for me.”

“Yeah sure.” Younghyun blinked, trying his best to relax. He was so use to eating dollar menu sandwiches and making sure to pay back anyone who spent even a cent on him. This was… definitely weird.

The only thing weirder was the the picture of Jae, with his Gucci belt and Prada sweater sitting in the middle of Younghyun’s favorite McDonald’s, looking at the three large fries with shining eyes and a bright grin.

They ate in silence, Younghyun watching Jae dig in with gusto that equaled the boy’s own. By the time the food was gone, Younghyun felt like exploding and he knew he was going to feel like crap later. Fast food was okay in small doses, but he ate twice what he normally did in a single sitting.

“I think I’m going to throw up.” Jae groaned, resting his chin on the somewhat sticky table. Younghyun grinned and flicked a piece of fry at him. The fry bounced off Jae’s forehead and the man’s eyes crossed in an attempt to look up at his own head.

“Sorry this wasn’t fancy or anything,” Younghyun frowned a little. “I probably could have thought of something better but I don’t really know anywhere that’s not… a college student hangout.”

“Well, what sort of places do college students hang out at now a days?” Jae asked, sitting up and looking at Younghyun with wide, curious eyes.

“Um, there’s the cafe around the corner. It’s open 24 hours and sometimes has stray cats in because the owner likes when they’re warm inside the shop instead of out in the cold,” Younghyun smiled softly. The cafe cats were some of this favorite things in the city. “There’s also the club on the other side of campus. They normally don’t check IDs cuz freshman like to sneak in all the time, but they have theme nights on Friday’s that can be pretty cool. There’s also the park, but it’s too cold to walk around right now.”

“Maybe we’ll have to check out one of the theme nights then,” Jae perked up and Younghyun couldn’t help but chuckle at how excited the man suddenly seemed. “All the parties I get invited to are lame. Full of old assholes that want to stab everyone else in the back. I’m sick of them. I like spending time with you more. You're... refreshing.”

“Well, it’s not much but my apartment it open if you wanna take a break from your fancy, real people job,” Younghyun offered. Their apartment wasn’t huge, or particularly clean, but they have a nice couch and Younghyun’s bed was soft. They’ve had a few friends crash for a night or several nights when things at home went bad. “I’m sure Dowoon would be thrilled to meet you. He was talking about you all morning.”

“Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer one day,” Jae smiled. Younghyun liked Jae’s smile. He looked so young, but sometimes when Jae wasn’t paying attention and zoned out, Younghyun could see some of his age showing through. “Ah, shit hold on I have to take this.”

He took his phone out of his pocket and slipped outside, his long legs making short work of the distance. Younghyun could see Jae through the window and frowned. Jae seemed to be mad at whoever he was talking to. For the first time, Younghyun saw Jae frown. The man’s eyebrows met in the middle, his eyes narrowing in anger. The veins on his neck popped when he shouted something that Younghyun couldn’t hear through the glass. When the man came back in, Younghyun turned to his phone to make it look like he wasn’t trying to spy on him while he was on the phone.

“Is everything alright?” Younghyun asked as Jae sat across from him. “You look upset…”

“Yeah, I just… bad news from the company,” Jae sighed and ran his fingers through his blonde bangs. He closed his eyes for a second before opening them with a small smile. “It’ll work out soon but… I should get you home. I have to go and talk to some boring uppers and see if we can settle this shit.”

“Are you sure everything is okay?”

“Thanks for worrying,” Jae reached across the table and brushed a crumb from the corner of Younghyun’s mouth. “I’ll text you when I I get the chance, okay?”

“Alright, let’s head out.” Younghyun stood and the two left. They walked next to each other, but Jae didn’t reach out to take the boy’s hand again. Younghyun tried to fight back the disappointment in his chest as they went. Younghyun could see the lines in Jae’s face deepening as he checked his messages.

When they got back to the apartment, Jae almost didn’t even realize they had stopped walking. Younghyun frowned and tugged on Jae’s jacket sleeve.

“Hyung? We’re here.” He said softly, breaking Jae’s trance.

“Oh shit, yeah okay,” He turned to the student and smiled softly. He pulled Younghyun into an embrace, his arms wrapping perfectly around the younger’s shoulders. He was so warm and smelled nice and Younghyun couldn’t help but lean into the hug more, his cheeks warming with the action. When Jae pulled away, Younghyun wanted to whine and pull him back in. “Thanks for this. It was… nice to get away and forget about my stupid responsibilities for a little bit. Next time, I’ll take you somewhere really cool okay?’

“Hyung, are you sure everything is alright?” Younghyun took a small step back and shoved his hands in his pockets, his palms clammy but cold.

“Don’t worry about be love. I’ll explain after it all blows over,” Jae grinned and for a moment, all the worry in his chest disappeared. “Ah also, this is for you. Don’t open it until you get inside though.”

He pulled out an envelope with Younghyun’s name written elegantly on the front. Younghyun took is and shoved it right into his pocket, his attention more on Jae than the envelope itself.

“Get back safe, okay?” Younghyun asked, sounding small.

“Of course,” Jae leaned in. Younghyun closed his eyes and froze, waiting to see what the man was going to do. He felt something soft press against his forehead, but by the time he opened his eyes again, Jae had stepped back. “I’ll text you later.”

“Bye hyung.” Younghyun waved as Jae got into his car. The man waved back with a smile and pulled away. Younghyun waited until Jae’s car was out of sight before going back into his apartment.

“So?” Dowoon was waiting in the living room for Younghyun’s return.

“We just went to McDonald’s,” he said, taking his jacket off. “And talked and that was it. Now knock that stupid grin off your face.”

“Are you sure that’s all that happened?” Dowoon smirked more.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you still have his jacket, your face is bright red and there’s something sticking out of your pocket.”

“Oh yeah,” Younghyun turned and pulled out the envelope. He opened it, but when he saw what was inside he almost threw it across the apartment. “Oh shit!”

“What is it?” Dowoon picked it up and looked inside, his eyes widening. “This is… holy shit that a lot of cash.”

“Wh-why would he-?”

“There’s a note too,” Dowoon pulled it out and read it out loud. “Dearest Younghyun, I remember how shitty college was so I hope this is enough to make things a little easier until I get to see you again. Buy yourself something nice - you’re amazing and you deserve things that make you happy. Signed, Jaehyung.”

“Oh my god.” Younghyun’s face paled.

“He’s whipped for you hyung.” Dowoon whispered, thumbing through the bills.

“I don’t think-”

“He called you dearest Younghyun and drove all the way out here to take him to McDonald’s. No casual friend would do that.”

“But-”

“Hyung, let it happen.”

“I should text him.” Younghyun took out his phone. Jae was obviously still driving, but would get the message when he finally parked.

 

 **You:** You really didn’t have to

 **You:** But

 **You** : Thank you

 **You** : I’ve been wanting to get a new board to get to class easier

 **Park Jaehyung** : Oh you skate?

 **You** : Don’t text and drive!

 **Park Jaehyung** : don’t worry, I’m using voice to text!

 **Park Jaehyung** : But if you’re worried, I’ll stop!

 **Park Jaehyung** : Talk to you soon cutie!

 

Younghyun looked at his phone and shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't fully edit this because I'm at Starbucks and it's loud and I can't concentrate. Maybe I'll go back and edit it later UwU


	3. Chapter 3

Younghyun was conflicted to say the least. He and Jae had been talking for weeks. It had been almost two weeks since their McDonald’s date and they had been in constant contact since then - texting, facetime, snapchat. Younghyun found himself waiting for the chance to talk with Jae, counting down the minutes of class until he was free.

Younghyun wasn’t conflicted about talking with Jae, if anything he was more than glad he let Dowoon talk him into keeping up with the man. No, he was conflicted about other things. Conflicted about the fact that Jae gave him all that money when they last met. Conflicted that Jae wanted to order him things and send it to his apartment. Comflicted that he had google searched Jae and read his entire Wiki, and now knows so much about the man without Jae even knowing that he knew.

Jae was thirty two, grew up in LA and went to college for music production. He got most of his education in America, but finished his schooling while working as a trainee at JYP. When he graduated, he was chosen to work as a producer, and had written songs for every single group that has gone through the JYP label in the last ten years. He had over two hundred produced songs under his belt, including ones he wasn’t immediately credited for. Younghyun was shocked at how many songs he loved that Jae had either written or produced or at least had some hand in creating. His net worth was a number Younghyun couldn’t even fathom and his dating history was… interesting.

He had been engaged a few years ago, to an actress. According to the Wiki page, they broke up but remain good friends. There were a few others relationships but none of them lasted more than a few months. Younghyun wondered why that was. They were all girls too, which Younghyun found interesting, if not slightly… off putting.

Was Jae using him as some sort of… self expression?

Younghyun shook his head. If he was Jae’s first… boyfriend? Male companion? Either way, if he was Jae’s first, the man would be more nervous, right? He wouldn’t be so suave and charming and Younghyun shouldn’t feel so conflicted about their relationship, right?

“Hyung? Your phone is ringing,” Dowoon called from the kitchen. “It’s Jae!”

Younghyun would never admit to how fast he scurried across the apartment.

“Hello?” He picked up just before the ringing stopped.

“Younghyun!” Jae said, grinning through the video call. “Glad I caught you. I know this is last minute, but would you want to come to an event with me tonight? It’s nothing super special, but going alone would make me want to rip my hair out and I can’t skip, even though I’d much rather spend time with you.”

“What kind of event?” Younghyun blushed. He hoped the color wouldn’t show through the screen.

“It’s like a… a company party. Not super formal, buffet, coworkers. Some brown nosing, a lot of free food and alcohol and boring conversation that your presence would absolutely make everything better.”

“And it’s tonight?” Younghyun was nervous. It was one thing to talk to Jae, but being brought into his world?

“Yeah, I can pick you up around six? The party starts at eight, but it takes a little bit to get from your apartment to mine. We can just get a lyft from my place to the party. Even with you there, these people are so mind numbingly boring I’m going to be very happy to dip into the open bar. If you don’t mind, that is. I never asked how you felt about drinking.”

“Ah, I don’t mind! I mean, I’m a college student,” He laughed. “I’ve experienced more hangovers than I would have liked too.”

“Sweet,” Jae grinned wider. “So yeah, six sounds good?”

“Yeah. But wait- what should I wear?” Younghyun didn’t have anything that would be suitable for a company party.

“I’m going in jeans and a sweater honestly,” Jae shrugged. “It’s casual, but also I don’t really care about what they think of me and they know that. I wore sweatpants to a board meeting once, and they couldn’t say shit cuz I was the one running the meeting.”

“So I could roll up in a crop top and booty shorts and that would be fine?” Younghyun teased, grinning wide. His grin dropped a little when he saw how red Jae’s face looked through the phone.

“Um, if you’re gonna wear that, I wouldn’t want anyone else to see it.” He said a little too quickly. Younghyun flushed bright red. He and Jae stared at each other in silence, their faced fighting to see who’s could be redder.

“You guys are cute.” Dowoon commented. Younghyun jumped, almost throwing his phone. He forgot the younger boy was in the kitchen.

“Jesus you scared the shit out of me.” Younghyun held his hand to his chest.

“I’ve been here the whole time,” Dowoon said, closing the fridge door. “I was just having fun listening to you two flirt.”

“Flirt-”

“Dowoon, right?” Jae said through the phone. “Good to see you again. If you’re free later, I can stop in and say hi.”

“Um, y-yeah sure!” It was Dowoon’s turn to be flustered. Jae grinned at the younger boy before turning his attention back to Younghyun.

“I have to answer some emails, but I’ll be there at six, sugar,” Jae winked. “See you soon.”

“Bye hyung.” Younghyun quickly ended the call, waiting until the screen cleared before grinning wide.

“Oh my god you like him.” Dowoon yelled.

“I do not!” Younghyun covered quickly. “He’s just… really cool.”

“Oh my god you’re in love with your sugar daddy.”

“Am not!”

“Oh my god you have the hots for an older man!”

“Dowoon I’m going to slaughter you!” Younghyun left his phone on the counter and chased after his roommate, Dowoon laughing and running away.

* * *

  
“Does this look alright?” Younghyun fussed, standing in front of his mirror. Dowoon was lounging on his bed, watching his friend dig through his closet and throwing article of clothing after article of clothing onto the floor in exasperation.

Younghyun was currently wearing outfit number twenty three, and Dowoon was having a blast watching the older boy whine when something didn’t look right. It wasn’t often he got to see his hyung so flustered, and he was enjoying the whole scene.

“It looks good hyung.” Dowoon responded, honestly. Everything Younghyun had tried on so far has looked good. All the combinations of jeans, shirts, jackets, sweaters and cardigans. Dowoon didn’t even know Younghyun owned half of the items of clothing that were now crumpled on his floor.

“But is it good enough?” Younghyun twisted in the mirror, looking at his current outfit. He was wearing dark jeans - not his ripped black pair, which were his favorite - and a nice cream sweater with a bit of a v-neck dip. He parted his hair in the middle, letting the silvery locks fall naturally in his face. His poor roots were so grown out, but he kept forgetting to make an appointment to get them touched up, seeing how he had money now that Jae was giving him an allowance.

“Hyung, Jae is going to love whatever you wear.”

“But what if-?” His question was cut off by their front door buzzer going off. “Fuck! It can’t be six already.”

He buzzed Jae in and checked his phone while he waited for the man to come up. He frowned when he saw it was only five thirty. He opened the door for Jae, who smiled widely as he ducked into the apartment.

“Wow, you look amazing.” Jae’s eyes widened as he looked Younghyun head to toe.

“You think so?” Younghyun looked down at himself. “I wasn’t sure what you meant by casual.”

“You’re going to be the belle of the ball.” He took a step closer, making Younghyun’s ears heat up.

“Why are you here so early?” Younghyun asked, not minding all that much about how close Jae was standing.

“Traffic was lighter than I thought it was going to be,” He grinned again. “I thought about waiting, but I wanted to see you. And meet Dowoon of course.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Younghyun shook his head, but smiled as he turned his back on the man. “I’m going to finish getting ready. I’ll be right back.”

He slipped from the living room, leaving Jae and Dowoon behind. In his room, he grimaced at the pile of clothing that he knew he wasn’t going to clean up for several days at least. He slipped on his only pair of what could be considered dress shoes - which really weren’t dress shoes, but those brown leather shoe he got from his local store on sale that were generic enough that they could pass as something special.

He slipped his phone and wallet into his pocket and took a final look in the mirror. Jae said he looked okay, but he was still nervous. He gripped the hem of his sweater, as if to take it off. He lifted it an inch and hesitated again. Jae said he looked amazing, but did he really?

“Hey Younghyun we should head out- whoah.” Jae stopped in his doorway, his eyes glued to the strip of tanned skin showing between the sweater and his jeans. Younghyun froze before quickly dropping his sweater back into place.

“I- um, didn’t- didn’t know if the sweater was, um, okay so-” He stuttered, trying to kick the pile of clothes towards his closet so the older man wouldn’t notice the absolute disaster that his room was.

“I wasn’t lying earlier,” Jae leaned against the doorframe. “You look amazing. You’re going to be the best looking person there, after me of course.”

“Of course.” Younghyun shot the man a lopsided grin.

“Come on, I passed a cute little coffee shop on the way here and honesty? I’m going to need caffeine if I’m going to survive this evening.”

“Wow, don’t hype this party up too much I might explode from excitement.” Younghyun deadpanned, causing Jae to laugh loudly. He waved to Dowoon as they walked through the apartment, who waved back. Younghyun thought his younger friend looked a little tense, but he couldn’t think if any reason he would be. Did he and Jae fight in the ten minutes he was in his room?

“Ready?” Jae asked once they were in the car.

“Ready as ever.” Younghyun took a breath. His nerves had shrunk some, being around Jae calming him a little, but now that they were on their way, his nerves were back. He watched the city fly away as Jae drove, one hand on the wheel and his other resting on his own thigh. Younghyun briefly thought about reaching out and taking his hand, but let the notion pass as Jae started talking about something that happened at his work that day.

* * *

  
“This is Kang Younghyun,” Jae said, placing a subtle hand on Younghyun’s waist. The man in front of him had a nice smile and a roundish nose. “Younghyun, this is Park Sungjin. He’s my buddy from college.”

“Jae hyung’s mentioned you before. It’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for Sungjin to shake.

“You’re so polite,” Sungjin’s eyes widened a little. “Is he holding you hostage? Bribing you?”

“Ya, don’t make me sound like some sort of asshole.” Jae punched the other man’s shoulder.

“Nah, he invited me and I thought it would be nice to get out of the apartment for the evening.” Younghyun smiled and Sungjin choked on his drink, his eyes glued to Jae - who was staring at Younghyun.

“Well, the buffet is open and there’s already a line forming,” Jae slipped his hand into Younghyun’s. “The bar opens in an hour, and we have ‘bout three hours to waste before we can slip out without me getting lectured on Monday.”

“Why would you get lectured?” Younghyun asked as he allowed Jae to lead him towards the long tables of delicious smelling food.

“Something about appearances,” Jae said, handing Younghyun a warmed ceramic plate before taking one for himself. “Since I’m pretty high up in the ranks, it means a lot for company moral that I go to events like this so… I dunno, so people who work under me don’t think I’m some sort of stuck up asshole? It’s lame cuz I’m not a super huge fan of these kinds of things. I’m the kind of person who’s content with hanging out at home and playing music and stupid card games honestly.”

“Well you should host a game night then,” Younghyun suggested as he started loading up his plate. He noticed most other people didn’t have all that much, but he and Jae both piled theirs up high as the poor ceramic could handle. “Me and Dowoon could come over, or you and your friends could come over to our apartment. We haven’t had a get together at our place since last semester.”

“You know what? That sounds bangin,” Jae grinned and tossed Younghyun a roll. He barely managed to catch it on his plate, the bread sticking to the sauce of whatever pasta he got two servings of. “Dowoon can meet Pillie and Sunggie.”

“I have classes until Thursday, and I work the weekends, but I can probably take off for a few days if we wanna get some drinks and stay up till sunrise like kids at their first sleepover. It’s the only proper way to do this sort of thing.”

“You know,” Jae put his plate down at one of the many identically decorated tables. He moved and pulled Younghyun’s chair out for him. Younghyun noticed how the man seemed to do it without even thinking, which made his cheeks flush. “You… don’t have to keep working. I can pay for your rent and tuition and food and stuff. I know it’s a lot to offer but you’ve been saying how badly you want to get back into songwriting and catch up on shows and start going to the gym more and stuff, and I want you to be happy.”

“Jae…” Younghyun was floored.

“I just… I like to see you smile, and I guess I’m kinda being selfish with this offer too. If you had more free time… maybe you’d be able to spend it with me, you know?”

“Are you saying you miss me?” Younghyun smiled slyly, ignoring the heat burning the back of his neck.

“Only if you miss me too,” Jae said quickly, ripping off a piece of his roll. “I have an image to keep up, you know.”

“I miss you too, hyung,” Younghyun smiled wider at the red dusting on the man’s nose. “But I don’t know if I could accept that much from you. I’d feel guilty-”

“Oh my god, look at him.” Someone said from the table next to them - there were two people sitting there, not even trying to hide their gossiping. Younghyun glanced at them, and saw they were looking between him and Jae, who had gone extremely still.

“Can’t believe he’s being so open about it, especially with the scandal-”

“How’s the food?” Wonpil all but yelled as he plopped down at their table, sitting so his body blocked the other two from their vision.

“Um…” Jae poked at his food, the blush from his cheeks gone. In fact, Jae looked kind of pale. Younghyun was suddenly very worried about him.

“It’s pretty good,” Younghyun said quickly, trying to cover how silent Jae was. Wonpil smiled at him. “Much better than what I normally eat.”

“Ah, I forgot a napkin,” Wonpil said suddenly. “Younghyun-ah, could you grab me one?”

“Yeah no problem.” He got up, slightly confused. He could have sworn the older man had a napkin under his plate, but he wasn’t so stupid that he didn’t notice the tension at the table. He went up to the table, snagged a couple and made his way back.

“You can’t let them get to you hyung. This whole thing will blow over soon and they’ll all see you’re innocent,” Wonpil was whispering to Jae, who looked like he had eaten something spoiled. The two at the other table had left, leaving Wonpil and Jae alone - the surrounding tables abandoned. “You should tell Younghyun. I can tell how stressed hiding this from him is making you-”

“Um, I got the napkins.” Younghyun said before sitting. Jae jumped and looked up, looking haunted, while Wonpil smiled and thanked him.

“Hyung,” Wonpil turned to Jae, who was staring at his plate. “The bar should be opening soon. Want me to get you something?”

“No thanks,” He said quietly. “I don’t think drinking would be good right now.”

“Are you sure? You were pretty excited about it earlier.” Younghyun chimed in, stabbing some pasta with his fork.

“I- yeah, it would probably be best if I stayed away from alcohol in public. You can help yourself though,” He finally looked up at Younghyun and smiled for the first time since Wonpil came over. “I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you.”

“I mean, free drinks? What am I going to say? No?” Younghyun grinned at his joke, and a spark of amusement flashed in Jae’s eyes as he chuckled a little.

“You’re adorable.” Jae shook his head a little and picked at his food.

“Here, wanna come with me?” Wonpil asked, pushing his chair back and standing. Younghyun noticed the older man had barely touched his own food but nodded anyway. They made their way over to the bar, where a few people were already being served their first drinks of the night.

“Hey, um… I know it’s kind of not my business but if Jae hyung is upset he can talk to me,” Younghyun said softly, so only Wonpil could hear him. “I mean, wow I sounds kinda pushy, don’t I? I just mean… he doesn’t have to hide things from me to protect me or anything. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped but he looked so…”

“It’s alright,” Wonpil said, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s arm. “It’s not my place to say, but I’ll see if I can talk to him. Here, what do you want?”

“What is there?”

“Anything really.”

“Tequila sunrise please.” Younghyun said quickly, naming one of the only mixed drinks he was familiar with. He was more of a ‘down an entire six pack of wine coolers in ten minutes’ kind of guy, so fancy bar drinks were beyond him.

“Coming right up.”

They got their drinks and went back to their table, where Jae was slowly working his way through his food. They sat back down, Younghyun scooting his chair a little closer to Jae, taking the man’s hand under the table. Jae looked up quickly, his cheeks warming but Younghyun was focusing on his plate. Jae huffed a small laugh before turning back to his own dinner with a little more enthusiasm.

* * *

  
“Hey, are you alright?” Jae asked when Younghyun rested his head on the man’s shoulder.

“Peachy keen.” The boy giggled, his arms and legs pleasantly warm and tingly. Maybe he had gone to the bar one or two or five more times, but he wasn’t DRUNK yet. Only mostly drunk.

“You’re an adorable drunk.” Jae grinned.

“I am NOT drunk, thank you very much.” Younghyun frowned, liking how warm Jae’s boney shoulder was on his already flushed cheek.

“Come on, it’s getting late, and I’ve stayed for longer than I needed to.” Jae stood, helping Younghyun to his feet.

“You’re the bossman, bossman.” Younghyun giggled, the room only spinning for a second before settling nicely.

“I’m taking Younghyun back to my apartment,” Jae turned to Wonpil, who was dancing on the edge of the dancefloor. Wonpil turned to them and shot them a thumbs up before turning back to the catchy song that was playing. “Ready?”

“Sure.” Younghyun smiled, letting Jae guide him from the party down to the front, where they waited for a lyft.  
Younghyun, as buzzed as he was, could still hear whispering coming from his left. He turned to look and saw a gaggle of girls who looked to be around his age, staring openly at them.

“Oh my god, he got him drunk.” One girl whispered.

“You think he’s-?”

“I knew there was something wrong with him.”

“Do you want me to take you home Younghyun?” Jae asked, sounding a little stiff. “I know it’s late, but it’s whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Can we just go back to your apartment?” Younghyun was quickly sobering up. “I wanted to talk to you about something anyway.”

“If… if that’s what you want.” Jae blushed and stuttered a little, opening the door of the car that just pulled up for Younghyun. He got in the other side, and they drove away from the party.

“Hyung, what are we?” Younghyun whispered, the lyft driver playing something soft on the radio that blended into the background seamlessly.

“Hm?”

“What are we? Are you my… friend? Boyfriend? Sugar daddy?”

“Whatever you want us to be, I guess.” Jae said, fiddling with the ring around his thumb.

“Should there be… rules or something?” Younghyun picked at a string that was coming loose on his sweater. Neither looked at each other.

“Younghyun, I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do,” Jae sighed a little but didn’t look at the younger boy. “I’m not going to set rules for you to follow.”

“What do you want us to be?”

“I-” Jae blinked and sat up a little straighter. “I don’t really know. I just know I… I don’t want you to leave me.”

“I thought adults were supposed to be all uptight and have their heads on straight.” He chuckled, and smiled a little warmer when he heard Jae laugh too.

“In that case, I guess I never really grew up,” His smile faded and he ran a hand through his bangs. “Younghyun I-”

“Ah, we’re here.” Younghyun cut him off. Jae blinked, surprised to be back at his apartment so soon. They thanked the driver and made their way up the elevator.

“You want to change? You can borrow some of my clothes.” Jae offered, going into his room. Younghyun had looked around the apartment when he had been there before, but mainly stayed in the living room/kitchen area.

“Yes please.” Younghyun yawned, suddenly feeling exhausted. His buzz was almost completely gone - not that he would be comfortable driving in his current state - and part of him wished he had taken advantage of the open bar a little more than he did. Jae came back with a pile of clothing and told him where the bathroom was. He changed quickly, sighing when he peeled off his tight jeans. He threw on the large t-shirt and the boxers that slipped off his hips a little.

Younghyun folded his own clothes and went out to the main part of the apartment. He didn’t see Jae, but saw a light coming from the room down the hall. He pushed the door open and saw Jae standing by his dresser, glasses off, his shirt half on and his phone in his hand. Younghyun snickered a little at how the elder had gotten distracted half way through changing. It was actually very endearing, in Younghyun’s opinion.

“Oh, there you are,” Jae turned and pulled the shirt all the way on, but not before Younghyun caught sight of the man’s flat stomach and the dark hair trailing down to his sweatpants- “Younghyun?”

“Huh?” Younghyun blinked, his face heating up.

“You were zoning out a little. Are you okay? I’ll get you some water. You had a few drinks at the party-”

“Hyung, you talk a lot.” Younghyun said, stopping Jae from leaving the room. Younghyun, without thinking, put his hands out. His palms met Jae’s chest and they both froze, the younger having to look up just the slightest bit to meet Jae’s eyes, which were wide.

“Um, Younghyun-”

“Can I kiss you?” Younghyun asked quietly, his eyes looking away and his ears reddening.

“Please.” he breathed, the word bouncing off Younghyun’s lips. Younghyun leaned in, roughly pressing his lips to Jae’s. He wouldn’t lie, he had been dreaming about kissing Jae for DAYS - dreaming about how soft Jae’s lips looks and how Jae would make him feel small, if he were to wrap his arms around him.

Jae’s arms snaked around Younghyun’s waist, pulling the younger in closer. Younghyun’s spine bent back a little to match how Jae leaned forward, their bodies flushed. Younghyun could feel Jae’s heartbeat against his own.

Jae ran his teeth along Younghyun’s lower lip, making the boy groan. Jae’s arms tightened around his waist when his knees started to buckle. His hands started to wander a little, cupping Younghyun’s ass harshly enough to make Younghyun growl deep in his chest. He kissed Jae harder, his own hands roaming the man’s chest under his shirt.

Younghyun could tell he was still a little buzzed, which made the kiss that much better. Jae moaned into Younghyun’s mouth, jerking his hips forward into Younghyun’s.

“Hyung-” Younghyun breathed harshly, his vision swimming a little. His blood was pulsing through his veins, his heartbeat loud in his ears.

“Shit, you’re still drunk, aren’t you?” Jae whispered, pulling back just far enough that there was a gap between their mouths.

“Not at all.” Younghyun tried to lean back in, but Jae held him back. Their chests were still flush, and their breaths mixing as they panted lightly.

“Younghyun, let’s go to sleep, okay?” Jae said with obvious strain. “I can make you a nice breakfast in the morning.”

“I don’t wanna think about food right now…” Younghyun suddenly felt a little nauseous. Not from Jae, but from the absurd amounts of pasta and tequila he had consumed at the party. Jae chuckled and kissed him one more time on the corner of the mouth before pulling back completely.

“I’ll get you a water bottle from the kitchen,” He smiled, and somehow that smile made Younghyun’s chest flutter just as much as the kissing had. “Settle into the bed, okay?”

“Okay.” Younghyun yawned again. Jae left and Younghyun climbed into the large bed. It was twice the size of the one at his apartment, and it was twice as soft. The covers were filled with down and smelled like Jae, and Younghyun instantly fell asleep as soon as he was surrounded by the warmth.

Jae came back in with two water bottles and three small pain killers in case Younghyun woke up with a headache. He stopped in the doorway of his bedroom and smiled softly.  
Younghyun was curled up in the middle of the bed, breathing softly with the covers curled in his hands so they were covering his chin. Jae shook his head fondly and placed the things in his hands on the small side table closest to the side Younghyun was favoring before climbing in on the other side.

He pulled Younghyun onto his chest, partially to hold him while they slept, and partially to scoot the younger over so Jae wouldn't fall out of the bed onto the persian rug.

“Goodnight love.” Jae whispered, brushing some of Younghyun’s bangs out of his face. The younger didn’t stir at the sound of Jae’s low voice, nor from the man’s light touch. Jae adjusted the blanket to make sure Younghyun’s shoulders were completely covers. The younger boy snuggled into Jae’s chest and sighed softly. Jae kissed his forehead and closed his eyes, falling asleep with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fun fact about me: I'm getting back into homestuck because I was nostalgic and the Let's Read Homestuck series on youtube is easier to listen to than it is to actually read the hell comic. Anyway, I've noticed I'm writing the way HS reads, and I don't know if anyone else can tell but it's amusing to me. If anyone noticed that, please let me know because it's so glaringly obvious to me XD
> 
> The original plot I had in mind was going to be a little more one dimensional, but after the whole Senguri thing I felt a scandal would fit nicely, especially since Jae is in the music industry still despite this being a non-idol Au. Another fun fact is I finally have an idea for my next fic, which is going to be a crack fic mostly. I'm excited to get that one started!


	4. Chapter 4

When Younghyun woke up, his head was fine but his mouth was so dry he thought he could cough sand. He was… pleasantly warm, at least. Small miracles, he thought to himself as he tried to turn over - only, he couldn’t move. Something was draped over his waist. Whatever was draped over his waist tightened around him.

The night before came back to him. Younghyun felt himself blush but smiled anyway. He could feel Jae’s breath hitting the back of his neck and it was more pleasant than he thought it would be. He thought maybe he would be irritated by the regular huff of hot air against his skin, but it was almost soothing in a sense.

As much as he wanted to turn over - his leg was starting to go numb seeing how he had no idea how long he had been laying on it - but Jae was sleeping so peacefully, and with how distraught he had been the night before, Younghyun decided to suck up his own discomfort and let the man sleep.

He had no idea how much time had passed, or if he had even been awake for the entire time, but eventually the breathing against the back of his neck broke its evenness and the arm around his waist tightening, pulling Younghyun tighter against Jae’s chest.

“Hmm morning.” Jea grumbled, his voice low and raspy. Younghyun flushed.

“Morning hyung.” He smiled even though Jae wouldn’t be able to see is, seeing how his back was flush to Jae’s flat torso. Apparently the sound of his own morning voice did things to the older man as well, because Younghyun felt something twitch against his backside.

“How are you feeling?” Jae asked, propping himself up on one elbow. Younghyun twisted around, laying on his back and looking up at Jae. The man’s hair was sticking up in every direction, and he had a line down his cheek from his pillow.

“Pretty good, actually,” Younghyun hummed, letting his eyes sleepily open and close. “My mouth feels like cotton but my head is okay.”

“That’s good. You had a bit to drink and I was worried you’d have a hangover.”

“Nah, my tolerance is higher than you think,” Younghyun chuckled. “I remember everything that happened. No blacked out memories here.”

“You remember?” Jae whispered, his eyes widening a little.

“You’re a good kisser hyung.” Younghyun grinned, his nose scrunching in amusement as Jae’s face flushed. The older man flopped back down and buried his face in his pillow, causing Younghyun to laugh again.

“Younghyun….” Jae groaned in embarrassment, and Younghyun couldn’t help himself. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss to the skin of Jae’s shoulder that had been exposed when his shirt tugged out of place. Jae turned his head just enough to look at Younghyun, who propped his chin up with his hand and smiled at the man.

“Do you have work today?” Younghyun asked, reaching over to play with Jae’s hair gently.

“Nah, JYP has a company wide day off after a company party like that,” Jae flipped over and sighed happily. “I rarely get a day off, and waking up to you made it that much better.”

“So we could just… go back to sleep?” Youghyun grinned, still playing with Jae’s hair. The man hummed in content.

“If we wanted to,” Jae quickly pulled Younghyun closer to him, the boy almost stradling him. “We could….”

“We could what?” Younghyun said shakily, feeling Jae’s heat radiating against his own skin. Younghyun felt his body burn where Jae’s fingers brushed against his skin under his shirt. Younghyun let his eyes flutter close briefly when Jae’s nails scraped against his hip bone.

“We could… get some breakfast?” Jae grinned, sitting up and causing Younghyun to fall off his lap back onto the soft bed.

“You tease...” Younghyun didn’t know if he should be frustrated or if he should laugh.

“I’ve been called worse, by people way less cute,” Jae laughed as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Come on, I made a mean breakfast. Anything you want, sugar. I can do omelettes, pancakes, waffles, cinnamon buns… um, other stuff too.”

“Anything is fine,” Younghyun grinned and followed Jae from the bedroom into the rest of the apartment. “I’ll eat anything.”

* * *

 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Younghyun asked for the tenth time. When he mentioned having to run some errands in passing, he hadn’t expected Jae to excitedly offer to go with him. Despite Younghyun saying over and over that it was alright, Jae insisted on not only going with him, but paying for it all too. They were in the car, not going anywhere in particular just yet.

“Younghyun, I told you!” Jae laughed. “I like spending time with you, and besides. Buying you things makes me happy.”

“You’ve said that but…”

“But you feel guilty?”

“Yeah…”

“Think of this as payback for going with me to the party last night,” Jae said easily. “Then you don’t have to feel guilty because I owe you.”

“A party is different-”

“What was the first thing you wanted to do today?” Jae asked easily, taking Younghyun’s hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world. They pulled up to a red light.

“Um, I was going to get some hair dye cuz my roots are showing really bad and there’s a sale on box dye at the convenience store, then maybe go to the mall and try to find some new clothes? A lot of my stuff is starting to wear out cuz it’s all second hand.”

“Perfect! I’ve been meaning to change my hair too,” Jae ran his free hand through his blonde bangs. “I was thinking maybe red? Or black?”

“You’d look cute with blue.” Younghyun said, trying to imagine the elder with colorful hair.

“Like a navy? Yeah, I can see that.”

“I meant like cotton candy blue, but navy would look hot too.”

“Cotton candy blue?” Jae looked thoughtful as the light turned green. “You know what? I’ve never had colorful hair before. I mean, I’ve gotten black and blonde and red and stuff but never a bright color.”

“Wait really?” Younghyun blinked, not believing that Jae took his joke seriously.

“What about you? What were you thinking?” Jae glanced at the boy, who was twisting his own silvery-blond bangs in his free hand.

“I’ve had it light for a while, so maybe a dark color? I’ve been wanting to go back to black.”

“Oh man you’d look so hot with black hair.” Jae said easily, grinning as he took a left turn.

“You think so?” Younghyun blushed, biting back a grin. It had been so long since anyone had complimented him like this, and he wasn’t sure how to react. The last person he had been this close with was…

“You’re already beautiful, but black hair would make your skin look even more beautiful. Everything about you in beautiful.” Jae didn’t hesitate. Younghyun spluttered and blushed, looking out the window. He watched the buildings quickly become fancier and more expensive looking. He figured Jae was taking them to a hairdresser, which was something Younghyun wasn’t used to.

Usually he just box dyed his own hair in the bathroom with help from Dowoon. The last time - when he had dyed it silver - was the first time in years he went to a salon, and that was only because he got a discount because of his student status.

“Ah, here we are.” Jae pulled into the parking lot of what looked like an office building. Younghyun got out of the car and looked at the tall building, the sun reflecting off the spotless windows brightly. A large sign showed it was owned by JYP, which made sense. Jae walked towards the automatic doors casually, as if he had done it a thousand times.

Younghyun followed after him, trying to act equally as casual but he knew he was looking around like a kid in a candy shop.

The building was beautiful. There was art hanging on the walls, the canvases easily ten feet tall. A large fountain stands in the middle, and Younghyun was delighted to see little fish and plant life living in the water. Jae stopped by the front desk to chat with the young woman working there. Younghyun was too busy staring at the fish with a small smile, so he only turned into their conversation when Jae’s voice started to rise.

“That’s- that’s not what happened!” Jae said, his words echoing faintly. The girl behind the desk frowned. “I’m sorry I just- everything is getting twisted no matter how much I try to defend myself and I- please. Just… wait until the official statement goes out before judging me. All this gossip? It’s all fake. You can’t believe it.”

“I don’t know what to believe Jaehyung,” She said, not looking him in the eyes. Younghyun saw Jae tense. “I thought you were a good person, but what I’ve seen seems… pretty bad for you.”

“You have no idea what actually happened,” Jae sounded monotone, borderline angry. “Please, for the sake of the company, and for the sake of our friendship, ignore the rumors.”

“I’ll try,” She sighed, turning to type something into her computer. “Here’s your pass. I hope you end up being innocent. I don’t want to see you arrested, Jae.”

“You won’t,” Jae took the papers. “It’ll work out.”

“For your sake? I hope it does.”

“Younghyun? I got the passes,” Jae turned to the boy, who was pretending that he wasn’t listening. “I know it’s last minute, but they always have time for me.”

Younghyun didn’t say anything as they stepped onto the spotless elevator. Jae started babbling on about the different girls who worked at the salon they were going to, laughing and not noticing how quiet the younger was being.

His ears were ringing. Jae hyung… was going to be arrested? He knew something was going on, especially after the party the night before. Wonpil seemed so tense, and all the whispers that followed them seemed to echo in his mind. What in the world did Jae get himself into? Obviously, whatever it was hadn’t been outed to the public. However, it seemed everyone in the company had at least heard whispers of the situation.

“-hyun? This is our floor.” Jae said, placing a hand on Younghyun’s shoulder and breaking the boy from his thoughts. He instantly felt guilty that he ever doubted Jae - the man that helped him when he was lost and gave him things without expecting anything in return and looked at Younghyun with such admiration and affection.

Whatever happened with Jae, Younghyun secretly promised the older man that he would wait until he heard the whole story before deciding what to feel.

He pulled you into the salon, and Younghyun was shocked. It was beautiful, with tall windows and polished floors. It wasn’t anything extremely fancy, but the set up was open and there were plants around the room giving it a natural feel.

“Jae!” A female voice called over. “I swear, I tell you every damn time to make an appointment and what do you do? You barge in, saying you need not one, but TWO appointments at the last second? I swear to god, you better have the best excuse in the book-”

“Woah there Jamie, calm down a second,” Jae grinned, despite the short girl who was glaring up at him. She was beautiful, with round cheeks and large eyes and short red hair. “I do have a good reason. Jamie, this is Younghyun. He was going to box dye his hair and I knew if you found out I allowed someone to do that, you’d skin me alive.”

“Hmmm,” Jamie pursed her lips and crossed her arms. She stared Jae in the eye, a silent battle between her frown and his grin. Finally, she huffed and threw up her arms. “You’re right! Okay? You’re right, I would have been furious if you let this kid box dye his hair, especially because he’s so cute and box dye would have ruined his nice hair.”

“He is cute, isn’t he?” Jae turned to Younghyun, who looked away as the back of his neck started to burn again.

“Hyung…” He muttered, shoving his hands in his pocket.

“Oh, I see,” Jamie grinned, and Younghyun instantly understood why the two were friends. They had the same mischievous smile. “Okay, well if he were anyone else I’d tell him to make an appointment and come back, but since he’s with you I guess I can make time.”

“You’re an angel.” Jae grinned and pulled her into a hug. Jamie let him hug her for a whole second before smacking his arm to make him let her go.

“So what are you thinking?” She asked, taking a black apron from a cabinet and tying it around her waist. The pouches had several pairs of scissors, combs and such, and Younghyun didn’t realize how many tool a hairdresser used.

“Um, I was just going to go black.” Younghyun said, not sure how to talk to her. Was she older? Probably, if she was friends with Jae.

“Oh, Jae absolutely saved your ass then. Black box dye would have sucked,” She nodded and turned to Jae. “And you?

“Cotton candy blue.” he said without hesitation. Jamie blinked at him for a moment before sighing and turning to the cabinet.

“Okay, well I’ll start with Jae because we have to bleach everything before applying the dye. When his hair is frying, I’ll dye yours. I can give you a trim after too, your bangs are looking a little frizzy.”

“Sounds good.” Jae grinned lazily and walked over to the chair by Jamie’s station. Younghyun couldn’t help but snicker a little. The only time he had ever seen Jae that carefree was when it was just the two of them, or when it was just them and Wonpil. Younghyun was glad Jae had other friends he was comfortable with, especially seeing how… uncomfortable everyone else seemed to be around him.

Jamie and Jae bantered back and forth playfully, and Younghyun couldn’t stop the chuckles that slipped out as he listened to their arguing. It was cute, watching them bicker. If Younghyun didn’t know any better, he would say they were a thing. But there was something about the way Jae was talking to her that made him think otherwise. Not just the fact that he and Jae had made out the night before, but also the way that the man seemed to regard her in a… sisterly way. Maybe they had been a thing in the past, but to anyone knew who them even the slightest could see they were just really good friends.

“So Jamie, why don’t you come by the studio anymore? I miss having your help.” Jae said as she slowly but skillfully bleached and tinfoiled his hair.

“They wouldn’t leave me alone after they heard that one track you made,” Jamie pouted. “Kept pestering me about signing a contract, as if I would ever want to sign a contract with an idol company.”

“I mean, you still work for JYP,” Jae pointed out. “Our checks are signed by the same person.”

“Yes, but there’s a difference between dying idol’s hair and being the idol that gets her hair dyed,” She countered. “You think I don’t know what those slave contracts mean? I’m not about to sign my soul away cuz I can sing.”

“First of all, it’s not nearly as bad as you’re making it out to be,” Jae didn’t sound phased at all by her bitter tone. “Secondly, I think you’d be an amazing idol. Your voice is gorgeous and you’re surprisingly personable, despite how prickly you can be.”

“I am not prickly!” She hissed, tugging on his hair with a little more force than necessary. “Anyway, you’re done for now. Let the bleach do its job and don’t get in my way. You, come here. I’ll wash your hair before dying it.”

Younghyun went over to the chairs with the little sinks attached. Despite how she and Jae were verbally sparring, she was very gentle when she washed his hair. She talked over him to Jae, who had spun the chair to face them. Younghyun thought it was a funny sight to see Jae with all the silver foil covering his head.

He was quickly ushered over to the chair next to Jae’s. Jamie quickly began mixing various liquids and gels before attacking Younghyun’s head with skilled accuracy. Within minutes, his whole head was coated in sticky black dye.

She moved back to Jae and began peeling off the foil. His previously blonde hair was now platinum. Jamie washed and dried it quickly, muttering about how Jae needed to stop bleaching his poor head.

“You’re not going to come back and get the blue done, are you?” She asked as she moved Younghyun back towards the sink chair.

“Nah, takes too much time.” Jae grinned.

“What, don’t want to visit me more?” She stuck her tongue out. “You know how bad it is for your hair to dye it right after bleaching it. You’re supposed to let it rest for a week before fucking it up more.”

“Yeah but I’m not an idol. I don’t have to look any particular way. Besides, I’ll be fine.” Jae spun in the chair, his new white-blonde hair looking soft as if fell in his eyes.

“You’re insufferable.” Jamie rolled her eyes as she started drying Younghyun’s dripping black hair.

“You love me.” Jae grinned even wider. Jamie didn’t respond but started to mix his dye. She wacked the back of his head before slathering it in layers. Younghyun watched with a soft smile as Jae laughed at something Jamie had muttered. He didn’t even realize how long he had been watching the two until he felt Jamie’s fingers on the back of his neck.

“Everything alright?” She asked as she started combing through his inky bangs.

“Huh?” Younghyun snapped back to reality.

“You zoned out there for a second.”

“Oh, yeah,” He chuckled a little. “Guess I’m still tired.”

“Yeah, I know how exhausting it is to be around Jae for more than five minutes at a time.”

“I resent that!” Jae whined from his chair.

“He’s not that bad.” Younghyun countered. He smiled softly when he saw Jae grin from the corner of his eye. “I like being around him.”

“That makes one person at least,” She grinned, but Younghyun knew it was friendly. “You guys are cute together.”

“I-”

“Thanks Jamie,” Jae said, sounding oddly soft. “She likes you, and she literally never likes my friends.”

“I can talk for myself,” She huffed but didn’t deny his claim. It made Younghyun’s heart flutter a little. “But yeah, I like to think I’m a good judge of character, and you seem like a good fit for that bone head.”

“Bone head? That’s the best you can do?” Jae asked as he spun around in the chair, ignoring the scathing look from the other hairdressers in the room.

“I swear I will shave your head if you keep this up.” She threatened, holding up a pair of sharp silver scissors. Jae made a mocking face before pulling out his phone and letting Jamie do her job. Younghyun watched as his now black hair fall onto the apron around his shoulders. The hairs blended into the plastic bib, and he was shocked at how much she was snipping off without any end in sight.

“Wow.” Jae breathed as Jamie snipped the last of his bangs. She moved away and Younghyun got the first real look at his new appearance. HIs bangs were much shorter, but not as short as the hair along the sides. She had parted his hair off to the side, so the pitch black hair fell over one eye, leaving his other on display. He raised his eyebrows and grinned.

“Wow is right.” He agreed, standing and stepping closer to the mirror.

“Your turn Jae.” She said, tugging him to wash out the dye. Within minutes, she was blow drying it, and Younghyun thought Jae looked like a a fluffy dog with how the bright blue puffed up from the hot air.

“As always, it looks perfect,” Jae grinned as he looked at the final product. She had trimmed it a little, leaving it mostly long and parting the bangs to show a little forehead. Younghyun had suggested cotton candy blue as a joke, but the man looked so damn good with the light color. “What do I owe you?”

“Nothing.” She said as she started to sweep up the mess of hair on the floor.

“I can’t do that-”

“Just prove to them what I already know, okay?” She looked up at him and Jae froze before nodding once. He moved in and hugged her tightly, and this time she let him. After a few moments, they pulled apart and she turned to look at Younghyun. “It was nice meeting you Younghyun. Keep him out of trouble, will you?”

“Of course,” He smiled. “Thanks for this.”

“No more thanks,” She shooed them away. “Get out of my sight. I have actual customers to help.”

They waved one more time before getting back into the elevator. Younghyun couldn’t help but stare at himself in the reflection, his hands playing with the new black strands with a smile.

“I was right,” Jae said, moving closer to him. “You look absolutely gorgeous. How do you look good in everything?”

“I doubt I’d look good if I… shaved my head.” Younghyun laughed but blushed nonetheless.

“I think you’d be a rugged kind of handsome,” Jae grinned cheekily. “You’re just that pretty Younghyun.”

“Hyung-” Younghyun whined, feeling embarrassed by the compliments. Jae cut off his whine with a kiss, his lips slotting against Younghyun’s mouth perfectly. He let his eyes slip shut as he gripped Jae’s jacket. The elevator dinged, signaling the doors about to open. They slipped apart but stayed close as they walked out. There was an new woman behind the desk as they walked out of the building. Jae kept looking straight ahead, but Younghyun didn’t miss the dirty look she shot the older man as they walked past. His stomach dropped.

Younghyun’s mind was whirling. Jae seemed so comfortable with Jamie, and she seemed to be on his side of whatever is happening with him - with the thing that the elder had been hiding from him despite how it was hurting him, according to Wonpil. The woman at the desk didn’t seem to believe him, and even went as far as say Jae would be arrested. What could Jae have done that would have warranted jail time?

“Younghyun?”

Was it something with his producing? Did he get accused of plagiarism? Was that even an arrestable offence? Nothing Younghyun had heard from Jae had sounded anything like anything he had ever heard before. In fact, Jae’s music was always so unique and interesting. What else could it be?

“Younghyun!”

What other kind of scandals happened in the idol industry? He thought back to some of the scandals he had heard of in the past. Accusations of abuse, of sexual crimes, of management beating their idols and idols sleeping around with models. So many things, but what could Jae have done? He didn’t seem like the type to hit someone, or take advantage of anyone. Hell, Jae was the one that stopped Younghyun when he wanted to go farther the night before-

“Jesus fucking christ Younghyun! Look out!” Jae ripped Younghyun away from the edge of the road just as as truck barreled past them. Younghyun could feel the metal of the truck almost graze his nose as he stumbled back. “What the fuck were you doing? You were almost killed? Jesus christ Younghyun! What were you THINKING-?”

Younghyun’s mind shut down. It was no longer Jae in front of him. It was another man, which angry eyes and bloody fists. Younghyun scrambled away, his eyes wide as he babbled. He saw the man pause.

“Please don’t hit me,” He sobbed, everything melding together. Where was he? Who was he? What was going on? “Please I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Don’t hit me!”

“Oh god, Younghyun…” Jae dropped to his knees, trying to reach out to the sobbing boy. Suddenly, the warning Dowoon had given him the evening before made perfect sense. “It’s okay love, we’re going back to my apartment okay? I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe now.”

 

_“I swear to god, if you hurt my hyung I will make you regret it. He’s been through hell and back, and if you break his heart, it’ll be the last thing you ever fucking do.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D are you mad at me yet? 
> 
> Next chapter is going to delve into Younghyun's backstory a little more, but we probably won't find out what's going on with Jae just yet!
> 
> Also, I haven't plugged my twitter yet (@25boyfriends) so if you wanna chat about the fic or about one of my many bands or just see the bullshit I tweet about, please do! I love making new friends!!


	5. Chapter 5

_“Younghyun, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” The man growled, the words sleezing out of chapped lips. Younghyun froze, his stomach dropping through the floor. He turned to face his father, his body already aching._

_“I was going to study.” He answered, truthfully._

_“You can study in your room.” He took a step forward. Younghyun took a step back._

_“Dowoon and I are in the same class,” Younghyun had told his father that several times, but the man never seemed to care. “We’re going to work on our study packet together. He’s better at chemistry than me, so he’s going to double check my work to make sure I pass my test-”_

_“You told me you were at the top of your class.” His father said, dangerously monotone. Younghyun felt his breath catch in his throat. He had to be careful._

_“I am,” He said, still not lying. “I have a 97, and if I get a perfect score on my final, I’ll have a 98 for my final grade. Dowoon has a 90, but is good at noticing mistakes in the equations.”_

_“You’re better than him, Younghyun,” The man reached up. Younghyun flinched as his father brushed some hair from his face. “You shouldn’t be fraternizing with those lower than you. Also, ask for extra credit. I won’t be disappointed by a close to perfect score from my only son. Perfection is required, Younghyun.”_

_“Yes sir.” Younghyun shook as the man turned his back on him. The boy turned and was about to run from the house when his phone started to ring. A popular song played, and Younghyun knew he was dead._

_“What have I said,” His father’s voice made him freeze again. He had been so close. “About listening to that garbage?”_

_“I- I didn’t p-program the song sir, I kn-know not to listen to-” His words were cut off by a stinging pain in his face. His own hand came up to cup his warm cheek, his father’s fingers leaving a mark against his skin._

_“You’re barely good enough, and yet you think you deserve free time?” His hand came down again. Younghyun bit the inside of his cheek, his tongue recoiling at the sudden taste of metal. “You should have been studying, not allowing your sinful friends to mess with the things I so graciously allow you to have.”_

_“I’m sorry sir-” Another hit, this time to the stomach._

_“You better be sucking sorry,” A hit to the ribs. “Give me your phone.”_

_“What? But I need it-” A hand came around his throat._

_“You don’t need shit,” His dad sneered, his face close enough to Younghyun’s that the boy could feel his breath on his stinging cheek. “You’re going to give me your phone,_ _then go up to your room and finished your work. You will only leave your room for dinner.”_

_“But-”_

_“Say thank you Younghyun,” He shouted, spit splattering on his face. “I’m allowing you to eat tonight.”_

_“Thank you sir.” Younghyun was trembling. It was getting hard to breathe. His father dropped him and Younghyun hit the ground hard. He quickly ripped his phone from his pocket and threw it at his father’s feet before scrambling up the stairs and locking the door behind him. His room was bare, but he managed to make it look somewhat lived in._

_He opened his laptop - the one electronic his dad wouldn’t take because a lot of his homework had to be done online - and messaged Dowoon. His hands shook as he typed, but he lied and just told his friend he wasn’t feeling well. It was all he could do._

_After all, if Dowoon found out, the younger would try to help and that wouldn’t end up going well. Especially not when Younghyun deserved it. He only had to survive two more years before he could leave._

* * *

  
“How are you feeling?” Jae asked carefully. He had taken Younghyun directly back to his apartment, holding the boy tight as he sobbed. He had never been so angry at the speed of the elevator before.

By the time they stumbled into the apartment, Younghyun’s sobs had lessened to pitiful whimpers. He was holding onto Jae’s shirt so tightly the man could feel the threads popping. He knew his shirt was going to be worn and loose after this, but all that mattered to him at the moment was making sure Younghyun was alright. He texted Wonpil, not explaining the situation but asking him to bring some comfort foods for them.

“Better,” Younghyun’s eyes hurt and his nose was stuffy. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

“Younghyun, we should talk about this.” Jae pulled the boy to sit next to him on the couch. Wonpil’s text lit up his phone, saying he would be there in ten minutes.

“I don’t want you to hate me,” Younghyun whispered. Jae wrapped his arm around the boy, who leaned into the touch. “Or worse - pity me.”

“I can promise you I won’t do either of those,” Jae used his free hand to pull Younghyun’s legs up over his lap so the younger was leaning against his chest comfortably. “You can trust me. I want to help - make you feel better if I can.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” Younghyun fiddled with the pocket on Jae’s shirt. How could someone so lanky be so comfortable? “There’s… a lot to unpack.”

“Did someone hit you?” Jae asked carefully. He knew if he wanted Younghyun to open up, he would need to ask the right questions.

“My dad,” Younghyun rested his forehead against Jae’s shoulder. “And then one of my exes, but he wasn’t that bad.”

“Wh-why did your dad hit you?” Jae thought he was going to cry. He was lucky enough to have the most loving family imaginable. They teased each other, but it was just for fun. His parents supported his dreams of going to Korea completely, never even thinking about holding him back. He could never imagine living in a household where the very person that is supposed to love and support you is the one that abused you.

“I wasn’t good enough,” His words were muffled by Jae’s shirt. “I was supposed to be perfect, but I was never perfect. I always got two points off on exams. One person ahead of me in our class. Always… not good enough. It pissed him off, because I was a reflection of him. I disappointed him. He always… threatened that if I didn’t do better, he would sell me. He would s-sell me and never have to deal with my pathetic, worthless ass ever again.”

“Sell you?” Jae felt his face pale. Younghyun had thought Jae was going to sell him when they first met, but he thought he boy had been joking - trying to lighten the mood, but apparently there was serious reasons behind it.

“It scared baby me, but once I got into high school it stopped working. That’s about when he started to hit me. Said it was to make me tougher, and that it would make me stop whining all the time.”

“How long?”

“Um, he started hitting me when I was about fourteen, and it went to senior year. The second I graduated I moved into that apartment. My grades were amazing so I was able to get any scholarship I applied for. The school paid for everything my freshman year. Dowoon came to live with me after he graduated.”

“Did Dowoon know?”

“He had an idea, but I tried hard to hide it,” Younghyun sighed. He started playing with Jae’s fingers, the man letting him twist his rings with anxiety. “I… ugh, I tried to hide it because I felt like I deserved it and I knew Dowoon would try to talk me into living with him somehow. He’s been… I dunno how to explain it. He’s been like, training me? Coaching me? Helping me get over the idea that I deserved it. He said no one deserves it. Said I did everything I could, and that my dad had no right to hurt me… It’s been almost four years since I’ve even seen my dad, but I still feel like I kinda deserve it. I guess that’s also why I always went for people who were obviously bad for me.”

“How many relationships have you been in?” Jae started to gently run his fingers through Younghyun’s hair. He smiled a little when he felt Younghyun relax into his touch.

“Um.. three, technically,” He scowled. He hated his exes with a passion. “The first girl wasn’t as bad, but was really good at gaslighting me. Didn’t know what that meant until Dowoon told me. My first boyfriend was good at first too, but he was the one that started to hit me. Nothing bad like my dad, but he still left bruises. That relationship only lasted a month. My last boyfriend.... I think that one fucked me up the most. It was about a year ago. He seemed super into me, then suddenly he was distant and snappish. Turns out he was cheating on me.”

“Oh Younghyun…” Jae felt his heart shatter.

“Cheating on me with his professor of all people,” He chuckled a little. “It was… fucked up when it happened but at least I can laugh about it now, right?”

“You didn’t deserve any of the things that happened to you,” Jae whispered, pulling Younghyun in close. He could feel the boy’s breath hitting his throat. “Please believe me. Every bad thing that’s happened? None of it was your fault.”

“It’s fine hyung,” Younghyun tried to say lightly, but he didn’t try to pull away from the embrace. It was nice, being close to someone again. “I’m working through things. I stopped dating after that last one because the cheating thing really fucked me up. Dowoon’s been working on convincing me I’m okay, and I think it’s starting to work, but at the same time he almost never lets me be alone with my thoughts.”

“How does he help you? When you get stuck in your head?”

“Sometimes he just talks and talks until I focus on him instead of my thoughts. Sometimes he puts on a movie, or gives me his headphones and plays music really loud. Mostly he just holds me, like this. I guess because I was touch deprived as a kid or whatever, physical contact calms me down.”

“Good to know,” Jae hummed. He knew Wonpil would be there any second, and when he got there he would have to let the boy go so he could eat, but he didn’t want to move Younghyun now that he finally calmed down. “Younghyun? Wonpil is coming with food but I want to say one last thing, okay?”

“What’s up hyung?” Younghyun’s voice was raspy, from crying and from talking. He wouldn’t look Jae in the eye, but he seemed open to whatever the man was about to tell him, which was a good sign.

“I will never, ever hurt you Younghyun. I promise it on anything you want me to promise on. I will never hit you, or cheat on you, or hurt you in anyway. I promise I’ll protect you from anything and everything.”

“Hyung-” Younghyun was started to tear up.

“I promise,” Jae kissed Younghyun’s forehead gently. “I promise that you can always trust me. I will never hurt you.”

“Thank you Jae.” Younghyun shifted, pulling Jae’s face down to meet his. He kissed the man carefully, letting their lips linger without any force. Jae cupped Younghyun’s cheek and deepened the kiss just a little more. As much as he wanted to rush to the bedroom and see how pretty Younghyun looked when he was all fucked out, even more so Jae wanted to see how many careful, soft kisses it took to make his perfect lips red and swollen.

They sighed in disappointment when the door opened, but Wonpil didn’t seem eager for the two to detangle from the couch.

“Hey,” He said gently, putting some bags down on the table. “How are you feeling? Hyung didn’t say what happened, but said to bring comfort foods.”

“I’m fine,” Younghyun tried to smile, but Wonpil could see how his eyes were red and puffy. “Just… things I’d really wish I could forget keep coming back. It… really fucking sucks.” He buried his face in Jae’s chest again, hating how his eyes were watering. How did he possibly have any tears left?

“Here, it’s okay. Eat up okay? Food makes everything better.” Wonpil smiled, and Younghyun sniffled before smiling and uncurling from Jae’s hold.

They ate in silence, Jae sitting close to Younghyun and making sure the boy ate enough. He tried not to get flustered when Younghyun would eat from his chopsticks without hesitation because he knew it wasn’t the right time, but his cheeks lit up anyway. Younghyun was so cute, opening his mouth for Jae to feed him.

“I’m tired…” Younghyun said, his voice low with exhaustion.

“Go to sleep love,” Jae ran his fingers through the boy’s hair. “Want to go to my room? My bed is probably more comfortable than the couch.”

“Please?” Younghyun looked up at Jae, his eyes wide and red. Jae felt his heart break but smiled and helped the younger boy stand. He left Wonpil to clean up their lunch as he took Younghyun to the bedroom. He waited until Younghyun was tucked in and fast asleep before going back out to the living room.

“So what happened?” Wonpil asked quietly once Jae collapsed on the couch.

“PTSD,” Jae sighed, feeling exhausted. “His dad used to beat the shit out of him. Threatened to sell him if he wasn’t perfect. Then a series of shitty relationships. I- I just want to protect him but fuck Pil, he’s hurt. Real bad. He was zoning out and almost got hit by a car. I guess I got a little loud but I was just so worried. My yelling must have triggered him… I’ve never seen anyone look that afraid before. I don’t think he recognized me at all. He really thought I was going to beat him senseless, right there on the sidewalk… I freaked out. I didn’t know what to do…”

“I think you did the right thing hyung,” Wonpil said, putting a comforting hand on the man’s back. “He seemed pretty okay when I got here. Whatever you did calmed him down.”

“How am I supposed to tell him what happened?” Jae whispered, hot tears running down his cheeks. He covered his face in his hands, hunching over and resting his elbows on his knees. “I just… I want to protect him, but he’s going to get hurt if he stays with me. This scandal, it just keeps getting worse and worse. JYP isn’t doing shit to squash the rumors. There’s no way this is going to keep away from media before getting fixed, and when it gets out I’m fucked. No one’s going to believe me…”

“Hyung, it’s going to be okay. He’s promised he’s going to make a public announcement about what happened. He’s on our side.”

“I know I need to tell Younghyun myself before he hears one of these rumors but I’m so scared… I want him to trust me, and I think he does, but this might fuck everything up. I don’t want to hurt him.”

“I know hyung, but if he trusts you he’s going to support you no matter what.”

“I don’t know what to do with these rumors, and I don’t know how to help Younghyun… I feel stuck.” Jae took a deep breath, wiping his cheeks dry.

“Things will work out hyung,” Wonpil moved to sit next to Jae. The man leaned into his friend’s side and let Wonpil hold him as he sniffled. “Remember what Sungjin hyung always says.”

“It’ll be okay in the end.” Jae whispered.

“And if it’s not okay?”

“It’s not the end yet.” Jae smirked a little.

“Exactly. Things aren’t okay right now, but they will be.”

“Thanks Pillie,” Jae sighed again. “I know I can be a bit of an asshole sometimes, but I really love you man. You’re one of my best friends. I’d lose my shit without you…”

“I love you too hyung,” Wonpil smiled as he pet Jae’s head gently. “I don’t just stick around for the pay, you know.”

“I’m flattered.” Jae let out a light chuckle. Wonpil always knew how to cheer him up.

“Why don’t we call Sungjin hyung over? We can have a movie night or something. Younghyun won’t be able to sleep tonight anyway so might as well keep him company.”

“I’ll see if Dowoon wants to come too,” Jae sniffled again. “I can send a lyft to get him. I’m sure Younghyun would want him here.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Wonpil smiled. As much as he teased the older man, he really did care about his friends. “I’ll plan for dinner too, okay?”

“Use the company card.” Jae let his eyes close for a second, just resting them. He really was exhausted.

“I was planning on it,” Wonpil chuckled. “The company owes you after all the shit they’ve been putting you through.”

“Damn straight.” Jae muttered before falling asleep on Wonpil’s lap. The younger man smiled and shook his head. He had known Jae for five years, and as much as the man seemed to grow, every once in a while Wonpil was able to see the younger version he first met - goofy, playful and a little hot headed. Emotional, quick to laugh and quick to pout. Wonpil was secretly proud that he was one of the few that got to see that side of Jae.

He pulled out his phone and shot a text to Sungjin before doing a little snooping - according to Jae, research according to him - to find a way to contact Dowoon. It was easy to find the boy through Younghyun’s instagram, which he found through Jae’s private account. He shot the boy a message, saying if he was free that a car would come pick him up.

He searched through some local restaurants and placed orders for later that night, as well as placing orders for snacks and drinks. He grew up in a small town, so moving to the city and being able to get others to buy and deliver anything from any store in the area was mind blowing to him. He quickly responded to Dowoon and Sungjin, solidifying plans before setting an alarm and locking his phone.

Wonpil took a deep breath and let his own eyes close, Jae’s even breathing lulling him to sleep as well.

* * *

  
“Oh shit!” Younghyun’s jaw dropped. It was almost midnight and the five men were full of food and alcohol. There was a movie playing in the background, but no one was actually paying attention to it. Instead, Sungjin was wooing the younger two with card tricks.

“How did you do that?” Dowoon whispered with wide eyes, his face flushed from the alcohol.

“Don’t encourage him.” Wonpil deadpanned as Jae cackled from his place on the rug next to Younghyun.

“I think my card tricks are fuckin amazing, thank you very much.” Sungjin tried to shuffle the deck but ended up spewing them at Younghyun, who yelped and tried to hide behind Jae, who was laughing even harder.

“Man down!” Dowoon yelled.

“I’ll protect you!” Jae turned around and draped himself over Younghyun. The younger boy twisted and laughed as Jae’s body weight pinned him down on the fancy rug that was now covered in crumbs.

“Dogpile!” Wonpil called, jumping on top of Jae. Dowoon was next, with Sungjin pinning everyone down. He grinned down at his friends, enjoying the fact that he was the only one not being squished. Even though there were so many years between them, in that moment it seemed like they were all the same age and just hanging out together - no work or rumors or trauma hanging over their heads. Just friends wrestling drunkenly on the floor, as friends often do.

“I can’t breathe!” Younghyun wheezed, grinning despite the fact his face was bright red. They all tumbled off of him, everyone laying on the floor and laughing.

“Ah, sorry.” Dowoon blushed when he realized he was half laying on Wonpil, their chests lining up.

“No, it’s alright.” Wonpil’s blush mirrored his.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Younghyun whisper-cheered from the other side of the carpet. He was laying on his stomach, watching his friend’s blush deepen. Jae was draped over his back, his hands wrapped around the boy’s chest and his chin resting on Younghyuns shoulder, watching the same scene with a grin.

“Hyung!” Dowoon and Wonpil both shouted at their respective friend, causing both men in question to burst into laughter again. Sungjin watched with a smirk, finishing the last of his drink.

“What?” Jae asked, his eyes watering from how hard he was laughing. “Don’t wanna- wanna get your smooch on?”

“You’re drunk.” Younghyun giggled, rolling onto his back so Jae was laying directly on his chest. Jae grinned and snickered again, leaning down to kiss Younghyun briefly.

“And you’re cute,” the man said, speaking in English. “Are we done stating the fuckin obvious?”

“Hyung…” Younghyun whined, trying to roll out from under Jae, who was grinning at him.

“You should… you should lemme pay for more things,” Jae whined back, rubbing his cheek on Younghyun’s like a cat would. “I wanna buy you things cuz- cuz you’re so great and I wanna make you happy and I wanna get you clothes that’ll make your ass look fuckin- fuckable as fuck-”

“You think my ass is fuckable?” Younghyun wiggled his eyebrows, causing Jae to roll off him completely and throw his hands in the air.

“The fuckable-est!” He said, eyes wide and cheeks red. Everyone started cackling again. Wonpil, who had just managed to stand without falling over, fell over again. He slammed his fists on the rug as tears ran down his cheeks. The longer they laughed, the funnier they found the situation which lead to even more laughter - the most dangerous oroboros of them all.

Soon, they were all panting and gasping for breath. Younghyun grasped at his side, his ribs burning. They laid on the carpet, breathy giggles leaving their lips as they finally calmed down.

“It’s bedtime.” Dowoon muttered, covering his eyes with his arm.

“Seconded.” Sungjin burped, looking a little green.

“I have the spare room and the couch,” Jae sat up and swayed as the room spun. “I don’t care who sleeps where, but if you’re gonna fuck use protection-”

“Hyung!” Wonpil shouted, throwing a stray pillow at the eldest. Jae didn't bother dodging and let it smack him in the face with a grin. “We’re not- not like you! All… horny all the time like some teenager-”

“Suuuuure Pillie,” Jer grinned even wider, trying to wiggle his eyebrows the way Younghyun had but failed miserably. “You can- can sleep alllllll alone on the couch then.”

“That’s- that’s not fair!” Wonpil pouted, leaning against the couch for support.

“Poor Sungjinnie,” Jae lamented, letting Younghyun help him stand. “All on his owwwwn. No one to booooone.”

“I’m gonna kill you.” Sungjin plopped down on the couch, hugging a pillow to his chest.

“Where’s the bed?” Dowoon managed to stand, only to look around, lost. “I wanna go to bebs.”

“It’s over here,” Wonpil smiled and took Dowoon’s hand. “We can sh-share” Dowoon giggled as Wonpil hiccuped in the middle of his words. The two left the living room, and soon the air was filled with the sound of soft snores. Younghyun turned to look at Sungjin, who was sleeping peacefully, his mouth open just enough to whistle as he breathed.

“Come on love, let’s go to bed,” Jae tugged Younghyun to the main bedroom. It looked exactly the same as the night before, but someone seemed so much more familiar and comfortable, like Younghyun had lived there for months. “God, you’re so pretty.”

“Yeah?” Younghyun grinned as he collapsed onto the bed.

“Yeah,” Jae sat next to Younghyun, looking down at him in admiration. “You really, really are. I can’t get over how pretty you are. You’re so pretty I can’t even say things right. You turn me into a stuttering middle schooler again, like I’m about to confess to my crush.”

“Drunk Jae is cute,” Younghyun grinned up at the man. “He rambles.”

“Hhmm yeah, Sungjin always made fun of me for it but if you like it, everything is good again.” Jae leaned down and peppered the boy’s face in soft kisses. Younghyun snorted before pulling Jae into a real kiss.

He tasted sweet, like the wine he had just finished off. Younghyun smiled into the kiss, pulling the man onto his lap. His legs slayed awkwardly to the sides, but Jae didn’t seem to care seeing how Younghyun was tasting the inside of his mouth quite thoroughly.

“Jae,” Younghyun growled into the man’s mouth. “Pants off.”

“Ah, but-” Jae hesitated, his mind a puddle of emotions.

“You don’t want to?” Younghyun pulled back, his chest clenching painfully. Maybe he had misread the situation. Maybe Jae didn’t actually feel the same way Younghyun did-

“I do! I just,” Jae said quickly, looking slightly panicked. “I just, we’re both drunk and I don’t wanna take adv-advantage of you cuz I’m- I promised to take care of you no matter what and-”

Younghyun cut him off with a kiss, swallowing up any protest from the older man. He ground up into Jae’s hips, causing him to gasp loudly into Younghyun’s mouth.

“If you don’t wanna go all the way when we’re drunk, that’s all good. We can do that later,” Younghyun muttered as he kissed along Jae’s sharp jaw. “But I still wanna see you cum, hyung.”

“Fuck-” Jae’s eyes closed tightly.

“I want to see your face when I suck you off, hyung,” He left light marks blooming on Jae’s pale skin. He knew the man had work sooner rather than later, and didn’t want the marks to last too long but he still wanted them to be there in the morning. “I want to hear you moan my name.”

“Y-younghyun, please.”

“Your wish is my command,” Younghyun grinned and tugged on Jae’s pants. Luckily for them, the five of them had changed into comfortable pajamas early on into their night, so Jae’s patterned sleep pants slipped off easily, pooling around his ankles. “Sit back and let me take care of you, okay Daddy?”

Jae’s eyes widened and he couldn’t bring himself to respond. He had joked about being called daddy when they first met, but that’s all it really was - a joke. He never expected the younger to call him that. Hearing such a lewd name coming from Younghyun’s kiss reddened lips made his cock twitch.

“Oh so naughty,” Younghyun grinned when he realized Jae wasn’t wearing anything under his sleep pants. He took Jae’s cock in his hand, spitting onto it and drawing a low moan from the man’s throat. “You’re so hard for me already. I bet you’re just dying to cum in my mouth, aren’t you Daddy?”

Jae wanted to respond - wanted to say something, ANYTHING, to add to the scene - but his voice seemed to have shut down. The only sound that came out of his mouth was moans and whimpers. His hips bucked forward as Younghyun licked his tip. In an instant, Younghyun was bobbing his head quickly. Jae let out a strangled yelp as he tugged roughly on Younghyun’s hair, urging him on.

“T-touch yourself.” Jae managed to gasp out, his body feeling like it was on fire. Younghyun movements didn’t even stutter as he started to palm himself through his boxers. He had been thinking about this moment for a while now, wondering what Jae would sound like when they finally went past kissing, and god was it worth the wait.

As bossy as Jae sounded normally, this Jae sounded like he wanted Younghyun to absolutely wreck him. The thought made Younghyun take Jae in his mouth deeper, feeling the cock his the back of his throat. He felt himself getting close and moaned as he bucked into his own hand.

“Fuck, Younghyun-” Jae didn’t have time to warn Younghyun before he was spilling down his throat. Younghyun only gagged for a moment before swallowing it down quickly.

No matter how many times he tried, he could never really get used to the the taste of cum, not that he would ever say anything to Jae. Seeing the man’s face twisted in pleasure made the sour taste more than worth it.

Younghyun came into his hand, feeling a drop of cum land on his lips as he screw his eyes shut tight. He saw white as he rode out his orgasm, waiting until he started to relax before opening his eyes and licking his lips.

Jae just stared at him, as if he was looking at a real life miracle. Younghyun took off his shirt and wiped his hands before pulling his boxers on properly.

“How was that hyung?” He whispered, feeling slightly nauseous but very satisfied.

“Fuck.” Jae gasped, pulling his pants back up with shaking fingers.

“That good huh?” Younghyun smiled brightly, and if Jae’s face hadn’t been red before it definitely was at the sight of that grin.

“God, you’re amazing,” Jae breathed, cupping Younhyun’s cheek. “I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

“You’re cheesy after sex, huh?” Younghyun kissed the palm of Jae’s hand. “Good to know.”

“We should go to bed, shouldn’t we?”

“We’re gonna feel like shit when we wake up.” Younghyun snickered as they laid back on the bed. Jae pulled the covers up over them, letting Younghyun nuzzle into his chest. He let his fingers trace patterns onto Younghyun’s bare back.

“Oh absolutely,” He agreed. “Like absolute garbage.”

“Guess these is our last moments alive. Glad I get to spend them with you.”

“Good thing I’m the king of hangover remedies.” Jae kissed Younghyun’s forehead.

“Night hyung.” Younghyun sighed happily, relaxing more at Jae’s touch.

“Sweet dreams baby boy.” Jae let his eyes slip shut, a smile tugging on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had a few people asking about the smut scenes, and I'm happy to deliver part one of what i have planned!
> 
> I was just going to leave it at the comforting part, but decided the chapter was kinda short and also they all deserved one last night of fun before things went bad! :D
> 
> Next chapter is going to start looking more into what's going on with Jae :O What do you guys think the scandal is about?


	6. Chapter 6

“Two mornings in a row?” Jae rumbled with a grin. “I must have died and gone to heaven.”

“That’s my line.” Younghyun smiled before groaning and burying his head in the pillow.

“Hangover?” He guess, correctly of course. He was also feeling pretty hung over - his mouth was dry as a desert and his head throbbed dully. His body screamed at him to get out of bed and get some water, but he was so comfortable soaking in Younghyun’s warmth.

The room was slightly chilly, as it tended to be in the morning, but the covers were the perfect temperature. Probably because Younghyun was so close to him. Jae tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep to stave off his headache, but the itch in the back of his throat was getting worse and worse.

“Wanna get breakfast?” He asked the younger, who looked a little green at the mention of food.

“I don’t think eating will be a good idea.” He sounded sick.

“What about coffee?”

“God yes.” Younghyun rolled over and sat up, his hair sticking up all over the place. A few of the hairs fell in his face, framing his tired face in a way that made Jae’s heart skip a beat. He really, honestly had never seen anyone as beautiful as Younghyun and he was absolutely sure he would never see anyone more beautiful than the sleepy boy standing at the foot of his bed, stretching and cracking his back loudly.

“Grab a shirt before you go out.” Jae warned, standing as well and groaning as his stomach lurched. He really needed to stop drinking. He was getting too old for this.

“Why?” Younghyun asked, grabbing a shirt out of Jae’s closet. It was a simple white button down shirt, which he secured a single button before turning back to Jae - who’s jaw had dropped at the sight.

“Um- well,” Jae blinked a few times. “Wonpil and Sungjin would have a field day if you walked out without a shirt on.”

“You saved my skin,” Younghyun grinned. God he was beautiful. “Come on hyung, coffee.”

“Yeah, of course.” Jae moved and kissed Younghyun’s forehead before letting the boy drag him out of the bedroom.

* * *

  
“Wh-what?” Younghyun heard ringing in his ears.

“I’m sorry Younghyun, but we had to let you go,” His manager said, looking uncomfortable. “We tried contacting you, but you never picked up any of our calls, and that’s grounds for termination-”

“But I told you my phone broke,” Younghyun argued. “I sent in an official form to change my contact number and everything! Did you even bother to try my new number?”

“Look man, I don’t want to be doing this anymore than you want this to be happening,” His manager frowned. He was only a few years older than Younghyun himself, and was just doing his best most of the time. “I just have to take your name off the payroll before the end of the day or else my ass out on the street too.”

“I see…” Younghyun whispered, nodding numbly and taking off his ugly vest. He worked - past tense, now - at the local convenience store as a late night cashier. It didn’t pay a whole lot, seeing how he was only a college student working minimum hours, but the school paid for his apartment so all he had to cover was food and such. “I guess I’ll just… go.”

“I’m sorry Younghyun… if anything changes, I’ll let you know.”

“Bye.” Younghyun turned and pulled out his phone, trying to fight the tears. He didn’t know why he was so upset. It was just a shitty, entry level jobs that he honestly hated, but it had been his first real job - his father didn’t let him work in high school because it took away from his studying - and he had been there there since moving into the apartment.

“Younghyun? Are you okay?” Jae’s voice came through his phone. Younghyun didn’t even realize he had called the man.

“Um, I just got fired,” His words sounded flat to his own ears. “They never bothered to change my number and they said because I never picked up, they had to let me go.”

“Oh my god, are you alright?”

“Just kinda numb I guess,” Younghyun took a deep breath as he walked back home. “I hated that job, but it was my first ever and I never expected to be fired.”

Jae was silent for a moment. Younghyun could hear shuffling coming from the other end, then typing. It was another few seconds before Jae came back.

“I set up an account for you,” He said gently. “I can transfer money to you whenever you need it. The bank will be sending a card tomorrow, and I can bring it out to you.”

“Hyung I can’t-”

“Love, you just lost your job. You sound like you’re about to cry. Let me do this, okay? I have more money than I know what to do with and I want to spend it on you.”

“.... alright.” Younghyun said after a moment of internal battling. On one hand, he didn’t want to take the money, but on the other not having to worry about a shitty job that made getting out of bed impossible sounded amazing. Besides, how he had his weekends free to see Jae and actually do his work.

“Want me to come over?” Jae’s voice brought Younghyun out of his thoughts.

“You don’t have to,” he said, wanting to just be alone for a little bit. “I think I’m going to get some homework done.”

“Alright, well I’m going to be here if you want to talk,” Jae sounded like he was frowning but trying to stay positive. The image of Jae frowning but still trying to support Younghyun made the boy’s chest warm. “You can call me at any time.”

“Don’t you have to get work done too?”

“Well… I’m actually on the way to the studio now,” He admitted sheepishly. “But I’ll keep my phone on just for you okay?”

“Thanks hyung,” Younghyun smiled. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“You’re a strong boy,” Jae sounded soft. “You’ll be fine no matter what life throws at you. Besides, you don’t have to worry about not having me cuz you’re stuck with me.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Good luck with your work sugar.

“Good luck with your work too Jae hyung.”

“Bye.” Jae made a kissy noise and Younghyun couldn't help but laugh a little.

“Bye.” He smiled into his phone before hanging up and picking up his pace towards his apartment.

* * *

  
“God I’m ready to go to bed.” Younghyun whined as he rested his head on the table. He was meeting up with Dowoon in the dining hall, the younger boy waiting for Younghyun to arrive before going up and getting lunch.

“Too bad you still have two classes.” Dowoon said without any sympathy.

“You know, here I thought I’d be able to lament my woes to my brother, yet here we are. Being shot down in my prime by the one I thought I could trust.” Younghyun whined even louder, causing people to look at them. Neither cared about the random attention. Dowoon rolled his eyes and stood, leaving his backpack on his chair. There was an unspoken rule in the dining hall that if someone leaves their bag at a table, no one touches it and no one takes that table. It worked surprisingly well, and students took it more seriously than more rules on the campus. Younghyun remembered watching a fight happen his freshman year when someone tried to steal from a random bag holding a table.

They left their things behind without fear and went to wait in line for their surprisingly average college provided food. As surprisingly average as the food was, Younghyun adored the dining hall because with one swipe of his ID he could eat as much as he wanted. One day, during his second semester, he spend seven hours in the dining hall, commandeering a corner to do his work and continue to refill his plate. He was kicked out before he could finish hour eight of his meal-a-thon.

“Oh my god.” Someone in line behind them hissed as she showed her friend her phone. Younghyun didn’t look but he did listen. The dining hall is a good place to hear campus gossip as well.

“JYP? I thought they were the good company.” The friend gasped. Younghyun was suddenly much, much more interested in whatever the two were talking about.

“Holy fucking shit, this is fucked up.” The first person sounded angry.

“A pedophile AND a rapist? God I have to delete all my music now.”

“I hope he gets arrested.”

“Electric chair jesus fucking christ.”

Younghyun felt his stomach heave. There was no way… right? It was just a coincidence. He reached for his phone, only to remember that he had left it with his bag. He got his food and rushed back to his table. The first thing he did was pull out his phone, but Dowoon beat him to it, handing the elder his device.

“I’m sorry hyung.” He whispered, looking down. Younghyun saw some messages from Jae on his own phone, but his dread forced him to read the article on Dowoon’s phone rather than responding to the man.

 

**“JYP PRODUCER PARK JAEHYUNG CAUGHT SLEEPING WITH UNDERAGED TRAINEES. NO OFFICIAL STATEMENTS FROM PARK OR JYP.”**

 

Younghyun shook his head, covering his mouth in horror as he went through the article. There were pictures, blurry security camera shots of a man’s back over the body of a boy sitting on the ground. To anyone else, it could have been anyone, but Younghyun knew it was Jae. It didn’t help that he was wearing the exact jacket that was now hanging in Younghyun’s closet back in his apartment.

“The trainee in question refuses to come forward and explain his side, but the rumors have been mounting against Park’s favor. There have already been threats of boycotts, and JYP’s stocks have dropped drastically since the rumors made their way into the public eye.”

“Oh my god-” He scrolled through the comments, feeling horrified as he went. It was blowing up, thousands of replies and retweets and likes. People calling for him to be arrested, comments about the article. Some tried to defend Jae, but more were disgusted. Younghyun read more and more, his heart feeling empty. He saw many repeating phrases that made him want to throw up.

Rapist. Pedophile. Taking advantage of children. Boycott. Fire. Arrest.

Then, he started seeing familiar pictures. Pictures of a familiar person. Pictures of Jae and… him.

The captions read ‘another victim’. People were vicious, calling Jae awful names, saying he was taking advantage of Younghyun - grooming him to do what he wanted the boy to do. Younghyun felt his blood run cold. He knew all about grooming. Jae being so nice. Calling him pretty names and showering him in gifts. Convincing Younghyun to trust him, to rely on him. To depend on him.

“Hyung, your phone.” Dowoon said, noticing how the device on the table was ringing. Younghyun saw it was Jae and felt rage course through him.

“Younghyun please listen to me-” Jae said the instant he picked up.

“Was this all a game to you?” Younghyun couldn’t stop his voice from trembling.

“It’s not what it looks like-”

“I was just a toy, wasn’t I?” Hot tears splashed onto his plate. God, he was an idiot. “All of it… none of it was fucking real. You- you were just grooming me… was I that easy of a target?”

“Please listen,” Jae sounded like he was sobbing, but that just made Younghyun even angrier. “I swear to GOD-”

“You know what Jae? I’m- I’m fucking done. You- I can’t believe I fucking trusted you,” He ground out, not meeting Dowoon’s wide eyes across the table. “Never fucking talk to me again. I swear to god if you do, I’ll- I’ll make you regret it.”

“Y-younghyun please-”

“Fuck. You.” He spat before hanging up. He debated throwing his phone, but growing up with barely any claim to objects made him hold onto it. Maybe one day he’d sell it or something, but he knew it was too expensive to destroy.

“Hyung…” Dowoon didn’t know what to say.

“We should eat,” Younghyun said quietly. “We already swiped out cards. It would be a waste to not finish.”

He sobbed quietly, sniffling into his food. It was tasteless and he really didn’t want to eat it, but he needed something normal or else he was absolutely going to lose his mind. Dowoon didn’t say anything, but he reached across and took the elder’s free hand, holding it firmly as the boy ate.

Younghyun managed to eat half his plate before throwing down his chopsticks and covering his face with his hands. A few people glanced over at him, but seeing someone break down in the dining hall wasn’t all that strange.

“Oh god…. I’m so fucking stupid…” He choked out, feeling like his heart was being ripped out his chest.

“Younghyun-”

“I can’t believe I fell in love with him…” He sobbed loudly, lacing his fingers through his bangs and tugging painfully. “I’m so fucking stupid!”

“Let’s go back to the apartment hyung,” Dowoon felt his own eyes burning. His hyung had always been so strong. Younghyun had always been the one that helped Dowoon. Younghyun was always the one to care for him and held him when things got too stressful. Even when his own father was beating him, Younghyun still stayed strong for Dowoon.

Seeing Younghyun sob his heart out in the middle of the dining hall was something Dowoon thought he would never see.

“I hate this,” Younghyun sobbed as Dowoon grabbed both bags. “I want this to stop. Make it fucking stop.”

“Let’s go home.” Dowoon whispered, helping Younghyun stand. He made eye contact with one of the workers, who gestured that she’d clean their table. He smiled at her and held Younghyun as they went home.

* * *

  
Jae was frantic. He was speeding down the street, ignoring the calls from everyone. Wonpil, Sungjin, JYP himself. He turned his phone off and pushed his gas pedal down even harder. He sped into Younghyun’s apartment and parked, not even bothering to lock the doors as he rushed up to the familiar door.

He knocked frantically, his head throbbing from everything that had happened in the last few hours. He had no idea how this got out to the public. Where did they get those pictures? Who snitched to the paparazzi? His career was ruined, but he didn’t care about that. All he cared about was explaining to Younghyun.

He couldn’t lose Younghyun.

“You have a lot of fucking nerve, coming here.” Dowoon growled when he answered the door. He only opened it a crack, but Jae could feel the animosity and rage radiating from the younger boy. It was enough to make him take a step back.

“How is Younghyun?”

“What does it fucking matter?” Dowoon looked Jae up and down. The man looked like shit - his shirt untucked and wrinkled, his bright blue hair a mess, his eyes rimmed red and his lip bitten to the point of bleeding.

“Look, let me explain and-”

“You must be fucking stupid to think I’m EVER going to let you near him ever again,” Dowoon snapped. He went to close to door, but Jae shoved his foot in the gap in the door. He flinched at the pain shooting up his foot, but Dowoon didn’t stop pushing the door against his shoe. “Go away before I call the cops.”

“Dowoon please-”

“I said go away hyung,” Some of the fire vanished from his voice. “Just… seeing you right now would make everything worse. I just got him to calm down.”

“Is he okay?” Fear spiked through his body.

“What do you think?” Dowoon challenged. Jae hunched, looking smaller than ever. “Do you really think he’s okay right now? He just found out the man he loves is accused of raping underaged boys.”

“He loves me?” Jae thought his legs were going to give out.

“Just… be honest just this one fucking time,” Dowoon looked sad now, no more rage left. He looked sad, and tired. “Did… were you really grooming him? Trying to take advantage of him?”

“No…. no, no, no oh god no,” Jae gasped. His world was falling down around him. “I would never hurt him. I- I didn’t tell him because I didn’t want him to get involved because he doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this BULLSHIT.”

“Pictures of him are going around. Him and you,” Dowoon said softly. Jae’s stomach dropped to the basement. “People are saying you’ve been raping him too. That you moved on from the trainee and are using him now.”

“No… I would- would n-never.” Jae was shaking so hard Dowoon was starting to get a little worried. He didn’t want to hate Jae, but after what he had seen, it was kind of hard to look upon the man in any positive light.

“Please don’t lie to me.”

“I would rather die than hurt Younghyun,” He said, as calmly as his shaking would allow him. “I never, ever wanted him to get involved. I just wanted him to be happy.”

“...” Dowoon glanced behind him before turning back to Jae. “You should leave. It’s not a good time to try and explain. Give it a little while.”

“But-”

“Please hyung,” Dowoon looked even more exhausted than a few seconds ago. “I’ll… I’ll talk to Wonpil hyung. If you’re innocent, we’ll figure things out.”

“If?” Jae’s voice was strangled. “Dowoon I am innocent, it was a misunderstanding-”

“It doesn’t look that great,” Dowoon shook his head and looked anywhere but Jae. “I gotta go, but get back safe.”

“Take care of him? Please?” Jae felt like he had been hit by a car.

“Of course.”

“That’s all I can ask, I guess,” Jae pulled his wallet out of his pocket. “Here. I picked up his card. I told him about it before everything went to shit. He probably won’t want it, but use it to make sure he’s okay. Get whatever you want. I wired a thousand onto it when I set it up. The code is his birthday.”

Dowoon hesitated, staring at Jae hard. He glanced between the man’s eyes and the card in his trembling fingers. After what felt like an eternity, he took the card with a nod.

“I’ll take care of him,” He said quietly, tucking the card in his pocket. “I… thank you, for caring for him. I want to believe you, I really do. But he comes first.”

“I understand,” Jae let a humorless smile tug at his lips. “He comes first with me too.”

“You should leave, before he hears your voice.”

“Right, I’m leaving,” Jae took a deep breath. “Thank you Dowoon. I promise I’ll prove that I’m innocent. I promise I’ll make it up to him.”

“Don’t break those promises hyung.” Dowoon swallowed back tears as he closed the door in Jae’s face.

“Who was that?” Younghyun called from his room. As soon as they made it back, Dowoon turned Younghyun’s bedroom into a cocoon of blankets and pillows and snacks, forcing the elder to settle into the nest on his bed and let the younger take care of him.

“Delivery guy,” Dowoon lied smoothly, slipping up on the bed and sitting next to Younghyun, who curled into his side like a kicked dog. “Got the wrong apartment. We got chatting about the weird layout of this building.”

“Hmm.” Younghyun hummed, not doubting Dowoon for even a moment.

“You wanna order out for dinner?”

“That’s expensive.” Younghyun whispered, his voice raspy. He had been crying on and off since getting home. Dowoon had been doing his best to keep his friend hydrated, but it was hard when he broke down so often. Dowoon had never seen Younghyun this… destroyed before. Not when his father broke his nose. Not when his ex hit him the first time. Not when he found out he had been cheated on. This was something heartbreakingly new.

“It’s okay,” He smiled and held Younghyun tighter. “Whatever you want. On me, okay?”

“I want… I don’t know what I want.” Tears coated already tacky cheeks.

“It’s okay hyung,” Dowoon suddenly felt angry at Jae again. “I’m here. You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

“Why did I let him hurt me like this?” Younghyun whimpered.

“Let me order something greasy and tasty,” Dowoon pulled out his phone. He didn’t know how to comfort Younghyun anymore. He realized after the older boy’s first breakdown that all he could do was let him ramble on. “I love you hyung.”

Younghyun just cried harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So i plotted out the rest of the story and it's looking to have about 10 chapters total as of now. That could change, if I write more, but there won't be less than ten. 
> 
> On another note, would anyone be interested in commissions? I can do any of the bands I stan, with any ship. Any rating, subject (Angst, fluff, smut, ect) and any AU (supernatural, detective, futuristic). Oneshots, chapter fics, whatever you want. I'm working on getting a real people job, and since I'm writing all the time anyway, this could be a good way to make my portfolio up. Message me on twitter (@25boyfriends) or comment if you're interested in anything! Or if you want to buy me a cup of coffee, my venmo is @starlight1395 (This is a joke I'm not actually asking you to send me money unless you want to XD)


	7. Chapter 7

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Younghyun double checked with his roommate. He was going away for the weekend to spend time with his family. It had been almost two weeks since the article leaked, and he’s been taking it … surprisingly well. He threw himself into his classes, got a new job as a table busser and declined any involvement with Park Jaehyung when asked by reporters and curious classmates. Jae? He had never heard of the man before, how could he be involved in anything?

“Hyung, I’m a big boy. I can handle myself for two days.” Dowoon raised an eyebrow as he poured his milk into his cereal. He had never eaten cereal before Younghyun came back from Canada, but now it was part of his daily diet, regardless of time of day.

“Don’t talk to strangers, okay?” He hesitated at the front door. “I know people are trying to talk to you about what happened with me and that’s not cool. You weren’t involved and you shouldn’t be bothered by these assholes.”

“Don’t worry hyung, I’m not planning on leaving the apartment,” Dowoon said honestly. “I have two nights alone to strut naked through the apartment and get wine drunk and write my essays. Plus, you just went shopping so I don’t even have to order out.”

That was another change Dowoon noticed in Younghyun. The elder was much more… caring. Not to say that Younghyun wasn’t caring before, but he was even more so now. The fridge was always stocked with fresh fruits, veggies and things to make healthy meals, there were little notes telling Dowoon to have a good day taped to his textbooks, and even Younghyun checking in on him several times a day, asking if he was hungry, or thirsty, or reminding Dowoon that he was always there if the younger wanted to talk. Dowoon wasn’t complaining, but he knew why his friend was doing this.

He missed Jae, as much as he insisted he had no idea who Park Jaehyung was. He missed the comfort and sense of safety that Jae gave him, and was overcompensating for how empty he felt by babying Dowoon.

Maybe Dowoon should go into emotional therapy instead of physical therapy. Everyone always told him he was very empathetic and gave good advice. Maybe a counselor would be a good career for him…

“Alright, I’ll text you when I’m on the train.” Younghyun hesitated again.

“Do you want to take the card?” Dowoon offered, knowing that Younghyun was going to decline. When he found out that Dowoon had the card from Jae, he refused to use it - he told Dowoon to stick it in the drawer with the cash left over in case of emergency. Neither had touched it since then, though there had been a few times when Dowoon was tempted to borrow some of it to get one of the many things he told himself he would buy later but never did. He didn’t, though. Out of respect for Younghyun.

“I got my paycheck today,” He said quickly, to no one’s surprise. “That money is for emergencies only.”

“I know, I just worry about you.” Dowoon pouted a little and Younghyun smiled softly. He left his bag by the door and went over to hug the younger boy.

“I love you Dowoon,” He whispered, sounding close to tears. He had been sounding close to tears more often than he would ever admit. “If you wanna use the card to get dinner or one of your games, you should. You’ve been working really hard with classes and your job and stuff. I’m really proud of you.”

“You’re going to miss your train,” Dowoon didn’t want to say anything that would make Younghyun cry. He figured out on day one that the elder was easy to break now. “Have fun, okay? Eat lots of good food for me.”

“I’m sure my mom will send home something.” Younghyun smiled. While he and his father hadn’t spoken in years, he and his mother had a good relationship. After she divorced the man, Younghyun was there to help her throw his things away and rebuild her life. She remarried to a nice man who worked with computers and like to collect those dumb little spoons. He referred to him as his dad, and his actual father as ‘that man’, which his mother didn’t comment on.

“Bye hyung.” Dowoon hugged Younghyun once more before the elder left. The apartment was silent for a few minutes, the only sounds coming from the pipes in the walls. When he first moved in, the piped kept him awake, but now he barely even noticed them. It was comforting in a way.

Dowoon waited until he got the text from Younghyun that he was on the train before sending another message to another number. He waited another hour, scrolling through his phone while some video about unsolved crime played on his laptop. He jumped up when he heard the buzzer go off, and went to let his friend in.

“It’s been a while.” Wonpil said with a smile as he slipped his shoes off.

“Yeah, well it’s been kind of hectic.” Dowoon grimaced.

“How’s he doing?” The older man asked as the two made their way back to the couch. They sat, Wonpil instantly pulling his legs up under himself and leaning into Dowoon’s warmth. Dowoon sighed and slumped into the cushions a little.

“Not good,” He frowned. “He’s trying to act like nothing happened but the walls are thin. I can hear him crying. He’s been playing the same three song over and over and of course they’re all ones Jae wrote. I think I heard him listening to a voicemail a few days ago. Jae… god why couldn’t they have just been happy?”

“We think someone’s trying to sabotage hyung,” Wonpil whispered. Dowoon froze. “There’s no way those rumors could have gotten out so fast unless someone told, and we have a new leads on who would have reason to want to get Jae hyung fired.”

“Hyung… what actually happened?” Dowoon was almost afraid to ask.

“I never really got the details,” Wonpil said softly, resting his head on Dowoon’s shoulder gently. “When it happened, hyung was a mess. He was rambling about it, and when he finally calmed down he went straight to JYP. He might be the only person who knows exactly what happened that night.”

“What do you know?”

“I really shouldn’t be saying any of this,” the elder grumbled, adjusting a little so he was pressed more firmly against Dowoon’s side. “He… from what I gathered, the boy had fallen and hurt his ankle or something. Hyung was trying to pick him up, but hyung is a stick so he accidentally dropped the kid. They landed in a bad position. He might have accidentally kissed the kid when they fell? I honestly don’t know. He was a mess. Normally an accident like this would be ignored because it was an accident, but one of the boy’s members came in and saw them in the… compromising position. He ran out and told their manager. Things just… got worse from there.”

“...” Dowoon was silent for a moment. “I didn’t think Jae was the kind of person who would be able to do something as bad as the rumors said.”

“He isn’t!” Wonpil sat up, knocking Dowoon’s arm from around his waist. “Hyung is such an amazing person! He fought with the company to get me my job. He defended Sungjin hyung and his boys when they were being blamed for equipment going missing. I know for a fact he’s used his own money to pay for meals for trainees - not just the ones Sungjin hyung is managing, but others that are new and can’t afford dinner half the time. Despite this, he’s a really solitary person. His only friends are me and Jinnie hyung really. When he met Younghyun… it’s going to sound really cheesy, but I hadn’t heard him sound that excited over anything in years. Not his music, or his family or anything. Younghyun lit a spark in him again, and it was… almost relieving to see.”

“Relieving?” Dowoon knew Jae cared for Younghyun - that much was clear - but hearing about it from Jae’s point of view was interesting.

“We’re... worried about him. Still are, of course,” Wonpil sounded like he was saying something bad. Dowoon rubbed his arm comfortingly. “He works too hard, and locks himself in his studio. He was losing weight, and almost never smiled. We were… scared that one day he’d stop answering our messages for good, you know?”

“He-” Dowoon felt his stomach drop.

“But when he met Younghyun, he started to get better. When he called me to get Younghyun a new phone, it was the first time he asked me to do something for him in months. I was starting to feel guilty because I was being paid to be his assistant, and all I did was sit around my office and play games on my phone because he never asked me to do anything. After that day, he was laughing more. He started sending stupid selfies to the groupchat again. He would come out to get dinner with us again. Even with this whole scandal thing hanging over his head, he was still smiling and fighting. One time, I think it was after he came all the way here the first time, he told me he was only fighting the rumors to protect Younghyun. He said- he said that he could have just retired and let the rumors settle themselves. He has enough money that he’d never have to work again. But he knew if he let things go like that, Younghyun would be hurt. He’s the only reason hyung is actively trying to fight this.”

“I had no idea…” Dowoon felt like an asshole for the way he treated Jae when he had come all the way to their door. Well, only a little. As much as he liked the man, Younghyun was his priority.

“Now Younghyun won’t talk to him, or any of us for that matter,” Wonpil gave a humorless chuckle. “I’ve tried getting in touch with him, and so had Jinnie hyung. The second he realized who we were, he hung up and blocked our numbers.”

“Did Jae tell you what happened with them?” Dowoon asked, wondering if the man in his arms had any clue why Younghyun was as upset as he was.

“Just that Younghyun was pissed, and that his anger is justified for some reason,” Wonpil scowled. “He won’t talk to me about it.”

“Younghyun hyung… he’s been through a lot,” Dowoon sighed again. “Long story short, his dad beat him, his first boyfriend beat him. His last girlfriend gaslit him. His last boyfriend cheated on him. When he met Jae, he was nervous but I convinced him to keep talking to the guy. When he found out what happened, people online were- they were saying Jae was-” God the word felt like poison in his mouth. “Was grooming him. To be more subdued and obedient. Hyung started crying, saying how it made sense. Saying how that’s the reason Jae was so kind and helpful. Because he was training him to be dependant on him-”

“He would never-” Wonpil all but shouted, sitting upright in shock and anger.

“I know,” Dowoon tried to calm the man down. “I know he wouldn’t, but think about it from Younghyun hyung’s perspective. Constantly hit, cheated on, beat down. Suddenly, this perfect person comes into his life and makes everything better? If those comments didn’t make him doubt Jae’s intentions, I’m sure his own head would have come up with something else at some point.”

“Oh god… I had no idea,” A tear ran down Wonpil’s cheek. Dowoon frowned as he wiped it away. “How- how is any of this going to work out?”

“I don’t know,” Dowoon pulled Wonpil back into his chest. The man let out a choked sob as the younger wrapped his arms around him. “I honestly don’t know.”

* * *

  
“It’s so good to see you again!” His mother cried when Younghyun pushed open the door.

“It’s been a while,” Younghyun smiled as he hugged his mom. “I’ve missed you.”

“Tell me,” She pulled him into the kitchen. “How’s life? How’s school? Anyone caught your eye?”

“Um-”

“Let the boy breathe dear,” His stepfather chuckled. “He just walked in the door and you’re interrogating him.”

“But I miss my baby,” she frowned and turned back to her son. “Look at him! He’s losing weight again! Are classes getting too hard? I told you, you can drop one if it’s too much.”

“Ah, it’s not classes,” He tried to comfort her. They both knew, though, that Younghyun would ever be able to drop a class. Years living with that man had carved it deep into him that it was success or nothing, and dropping a class - no matter how much stress he was under - was a failure. “It’s just… life.”

“Tell me what’s been going on,” She patted his hand warmly. “I’ll make you some food.”

“Well, I had to get a new job,” He said. That was a safe topic. “I was fired from the convenience store for a stupid reason, but I got hired at a local restaurant clearing tables and stuff. I’ve only been there for a week and a half, but they said I had potential to get promoted to waiter soon.”

“That’s great honey! Not the getting fired part, but the promotion part.” She smiled as she worked, making something tasty for her poor, stressed son.

“Seoul is close to a lot of cities, right?” His step dad asked.

“Yeah, we’re close to everything it feels like.” Younghyun laughed a little.

“Are you near that JYP company? I don’t know what city that building is in, but I’ve been hearing some interesting things and I was wondering if you heard any gossip.” he man said with a grin and a wink, but Younghyun wasn’t able to return his joking tone. In fact, Younghyun was absolutely frozen.

“Younghyun? Are you alright? You’re pale.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” His throat was tight, and he winced when his voice cracked. “I don’t- don’t know anything about JYP or about whatever stupid scandal is happening to whatever stupid producer.”

“I-”

“I’m going to go to the bathroom.” He quickly stood and ran from the room, leaving his parents to watch him go in confusion.

As soon as he locked the door, he broke down. He knew they could hear him from the kitchen, but he couldn’t help himself. It felt like he was going to break a rib with how hard he sobbed, but he couldn’t help it.

God, why couldn’t he stop fucking crying?

After few minutes, the sobs calmed and he splashed his red, blotchy face with cold water. He took several deep breaths before going back to where a bowl of food waited for him. No one commented on how his eyes were puffy, or how a stray tear worked its way down his cheek as he ate, and he was grateful for that. He had no idea how he could even begin to explain his situation to his parents.

* * *

  
“What do you mean?” Jae growled. JYP put his hands up, as if to say ‘don’t bite the head of the messenger’.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t make a public statement until we have everything settled,” the older man said with a hint of remorse in his voice. “If we go public now - without the culprit that talked to the media, we’re just going to be bashed again. No one is going to believe us.”

“But the trainee! He already gave his testimony! He said he was willing to make a public statement about what happened!” Jae felt close to tears.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time Jae,” JYP sighed. “I know exactly what will happen if we go out now. They’ll accuse us of either bribing or threatening the boy into saying what we want. More rumors will go around about how we abuse our trainees and force them to say what we want them to. If we can wait until we find who was spreading the false rumors and make them confess their reasoning behind it, no one can accuse us of anything. They’ll accept the blame for spreading fake rumors in order to defame you, you and the boy make a statement or ten about what actually happened and this goes behind us.”

“How long will that take?” Jae ground out, clenching his fists so tight he could feel his nails digging into his palms.

“Hopefully not too much longer. We have a lead on who might have done this, but we can’t do anything until we have solid evidence.”

“Dammit!” Jae slammed his fist down on the desk, his throat burning.

“I’m sorry Jae. Just stay patient. We’ll take care of this.”

“I have to go.” He choked, trying to keep himself from screaming. JYP nodded, frowning as the other man stormed from the office.

He waited until he was back in his studio before slamming his fist into the padded walls. He let out a stream of curses when the pain wasn’t enough to stop the rage burning in his chest. He had been hoping that the meeting was going to be the end of things. That he would be able to call Younghyun and tell him to check the news and have everything finally - fucking finally - get better.

“Oh Jae…” The door creaked open. Jae fell to his knees and sobbed, ignoring Sungjin’s warm hands on his shoulders. He cried for Younghyun, who he had hurt so badly. He cried for the trainee, who would have this stain on his career forever. He cried for himself, for letting things get this out of control. He cried and cried, the first time in almost two weeks that he let himself sob fully.

“I miss him…” He whimpered, letting his friend hold him. His hand throbbed, and his head felt like a spike was piercing it.

“I know hyung,” Sungjin whispered, rubbing Jae’s back as he cried softly. “I know you do, but things will work out.”

“They won’t,” Jae gasped, the hole in his chest feeling bigger and darker. “They won’t get better. Oh my god I’ll never get to see him again-”

“You love him, don’t you?” Sungjin’s heart hurt, but part of him was glad his friend had found someone to love.

“So much…. I love him so much,” Jae trembled. “I’d do anything for him but I- I fucking hurt him so badly…”

“He’ll understand,” Sungjin ran his fingers through Jae’s fading blue hair. “Once you get the chance to explain, he’ll understand and you can kiss his face all you want.”

“I can’t kiss his face anymore,” Jae mumbled, his sobs renewing. “I can’t kiss him anymore. I can’t kiss him or hold him or see him smile anymore and oh my god Sungjin, what am I going to do without him?”

“It’ll be okay hyung,” Sungjin felt his own eyes burn. He had never seen his friend break down like this before. He’s seen Jae with a lot of emotions before - anger, excitement, joy, apathy. But this? Never this. “Come on Jae, you need to calm down. You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep crying this hard.”

“What do I do?” Jae whimpered, clutching onto Sungjin’s shirt.

“Keep fighting.” He knew Jae would barely remember this. The poor man had refused to sleep - opting to either work on songs that may never be released or talking with the investigators JYP hired to try and figure out who might have done this. On top of this - knowing Jae - Sungjin was almost completely sure his friend hadn’t been eating either - he was never hungry when he was stressed. He was starving, exhausted and emotional. No wonder he was breaking down like this.

“It hurts,” Jae whispered, his eyes slipping shut. “So much.”

“I know hyung,” Sungjin held Jae as he fell asleep. “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one's taking this well, are they? Now we have a little more insight to what actually happened, but it was just a second hand retelling. Only Jae knows what /really/ happened that night. 
> 
> Next chapter is going to be the big reveal and the confession! But how is Younghyun going to take everything? Will he accept Jae after everything that happened? :O
> 
> Side note, I was worrying because I didn't have any ideas for what to write after this, but now I have quite a few! Ironically, they're all Stray Kids (And two BTS) . Two Woochan and one Jilix, but IDK which one I'm going to do first. I'll probably put a poll up on my twitter (@25boyfriends) when I get closer to finishing this one, so follow me and keep and eye out for any polls or fic related tweets I may or may not make!


	8. Chapter 8

“Kang Younghyun?” A woman chased after Younghyun, who had just gotten off a double shift at his work. He had been there for a month, and was picking up as many shifts as possible. He grimaced and walked faster. “Just a moment of your time!”

“What do you want?” He whirled around. His feet were on fire from standing for the past ten hours, he smelled like the soup some kid spilled on his work pants and he just wanted to shower and drink the bottles of soju cooling in his fridge.

“I just want to ask you a few questions on the Park case.” She said, holding out a voice recorder. Younghyun felt a vein on his forehead pulse.

“I’ll tell you the same thing I tell everyone,” He said, trying to keep the rage in his chest from leaking into his voice. “I have nothing to do with Park Jaehyung or his scandal. Whatever you think you’re going to get out of me, I’m sorry but there is nothing for you here.”

“But what about the large sums of money transferred from Park’s accounts to yours?” She said with an annoying smirk. Younghyun crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow, unamused by how smug the woman seemed.

“He and I,” Younghyun thought about how to word his next few words. “He and I used to be acquaintances. Park Jaehyung has been very public in the past about the fact that he enjoys donating money to charities and buying things for his friends. He told me he remembered how hard college was, and wanted to help me out. I tried to deny the money at first because I didn’t want to feel that I owed him, but he convinced me to accept. That’s it, okay.” He didn’t mean for his voice to soften as he talked, or to let a small smile tug at the corners of his mouth as he thought about Jae.

“Oh,” She looked almost disappointed. “So, it was just a gift? No other… transactions between you and him?”

“Are you implying that he bought sex?” Younghyun said bluntly, his blood roaring in his ears. The woman blinked, her cheeks coloring a little at being called out so abruptly.

“I- I just wanted to clarify some rumors-” She stuttered, looking away.

“Let me make this clear right now,” Younghyun said clearly. “Park Jaehyung and I have never slept together. We never had sex, and he never paid me for any sort of sexual favor. He never paid me for my time or attention. I was never an escort, or a prostitute, or anything else these rumors are calling me. Stop trying to squeeze these interviews out of me. There is nothing between me and Park, and I don’t want to be bothered anymore, okay?”

“Thank you for your time,” She said, sounding slightly uncomfortable. “Your answers will clear up a good amount of confusion-”

“I’m going to go,” He didn’t let her finish. “Tell your reporter friends that I don’t want to be bothered anymore.”

“Have a nice day.” She bowed slightly before running off into the crowd and Younghyun sighed.

Shaking his head, he trudged back to his apartment. His feet screamed with every step he took. He could see his apartment across the street and he picked up his pace. He could feel eyes on him, but he tried to convince himself that no one cared that he was hustling across the street - even though no one actually did care. He was just paranoid.

“Thank god.” He breathed as he unlocked his front door. He kicked off his shoes as he relocked the door and groaned as his feet were freed from the pain they had been dealing with for the last five hours. Dowoon was spending the weekend with a friend, so he was all alone.

He slipped of his jacket at hung it on the lopsided coat rack Dowoon found on the side of the road and brought back one day a few weeks into him living in the apartment. Younghyun sighed when he checked his phone - he couldn’t look at the device without feeling his chest clench - and went to the kitchen.

Cracking open the first bottle of soju sent a shiver run down his spine. He sipped directly from the bottle as he meandered into his room to gather new clothes.  
Younghyun connected his phone to the bluetooth and blasted his ‘Fuck Life’ playlist, each song delicately picked to be angry and to have nothing to do with Jae. As the shower warmed up, he lazily drank from the bottle, the green glass chilled against his mouth. He could feel the alcohol hitting him hard - he missed his break because of how busy they were, so his stomach was emptier than it usually was when he drank.

He sang along with whatever song was blasting, going between washing himself and drinking his soju as he let the hot water pound into his muscles. It was only when his bottle was empty that he rinsed off completely and turned off the shower.

The room spun a little as he got out but his chest still hurt. He quickly got dressed, letting his pants hang low on his hips. He forgot the t-shirt he grabbed was filled with holes, but he didn’t bother to go change it. It was soft from being washed for years, and he was more focused on getting a second bottle of alcohol rather than his appearance.

The second bottle tasted even better, the first sip chilled and perfect seeing how the last sip of the first bottle was warm and slightly watered down. He dug out his left overs that he had been saving specifically for drunk Younghyun. Not even bothering to heat it up, he took a third bottle with him to the couch and brought up a random movie to mindlessly watch.

Younghyun didn’t notice as tears started to run down his cheeks.

* * *

  
“Hyung, give me your phone.” Wonpil begged, trying to pry Jae’s phone from his hand. The older man just shoved him away, hsi eyes glued to the most recent article that was posting his name in bolded letters in its title.

“They’re still bothering him,” He seethed. He had tried to contact his lawyers, to see if there was anyway he could legally get the media to back off the boy, but they said there was nothing they could do without Younghyun’s consent. Jae gave up, knowing Younghyun wouldn’t accept help from him. This time, someone asked Younghyun if he had sold sex to Jae which made the man’s blood absolutely boil, though he did feel a tinge of pride reading the boy’s response. “Are we any closer to figuring out who did this?”

“A little bit, but we’re still missing the final piece we need to arrest the guy,” Wonpil sighed, feeling guilty. Dowoon was waiting back at his apartment because Wonpil was supposed to have gotten off an hour ago. Unfortunately, he couldn’t leave until Jae did and Jae wasn’t anywhere close to being done for the day. “Come on, let’s go home You’re exhausted and I’m worried about you.”

“Wonpil-”

“Please.” He looked at his friend, his eyes tearing up. Jae froze at the sight of the younger man’s glassy eyes before sighing.

“Alright,” He folded, tucking some paperwork into a folder and throwing it into his desk. He slipped his phone into his pocket and grabbed his second favorite jacket - his favorite was still with Younghyun. “Let’s go home.”

“I’ll order some food to be delivered to your apartment-”

“I can handle it, thanks though,” Jae suddenly felt exhausted but he still smiled at his friend as they walked to the elevator. “You go home. I know you’ve been itching to leave. Actually, take tomorrow off.”

“I don’t think-”

“Trust me, nothing is going to get done anyway. It’s just torture to make you come in and do nothing again.” Jae pushed down button.

“Ah, thank you hyung.” Wonpil’s shoulders relaxed at the idea of not having to wake up early to face the same music as he had been the last three weeks.

They rode down to the lobby in silence, only saying a few words as a goodbye before going on their way.

He was lucky that his apartment was only three blocks away from the company building, so he could just walk to and from work. It was nice to clear his head sometimes, and other times it gave him too much time to get stuck in his thoughts.

By the time he pushed open his door, he was trembling. He sighed loudly as he slipped off his shoes. He looked around the living room and frowned. He always liked his apartment, but the last couple of weeks it had seemed so, so empty.

He considered taking a shower, but was too tired to bother. He was tired physically, yes, but he was also soul tired. His very being was exhausted. He’d just shower in the morning and go in late. He was basically his own boss anyway. It’s not like he could be fired for being a little late.

“Maybe I should get a cat.” He said to himself as he made himself a cup of tea. Just the warmth from the mug helped him relax. Half the charm of tea was being able to hold the steaming ceramic and let the heat seep into his fingers like a comforting touch.

He plugged his phone in stirred the tea, watching the liquid darken the longer the baggie of leaves soaked. With practiced motions, he used the spoon to squeeze the liquid from the bag and threw it out. He took a tentative sip, smiling at the perfect temperature.

Just as he was about to look for one of the many take out menus around his kitchen, he heard his phone go off. He checked who it was and froze.

It was Younghyun.

* * *

  
“Dumb… fuckin’ Jae.” Younghyun rolled onto his back, kicking an empty bottle out of the way. He scowled as his thumb hovered over the call button.

He had been fighting with himself since bottle three over whether or not he should call Jae. On one hand, he was still furious. On the other, he really missed the man’s voice. He really missed everything about Jae. As much as he hated him, Younghyun missed Jae.

“Y-younghyun?” Jae’s voice came from the phone, the words trembling and scared.

“Hyung?” Why was Jae talking to him? Oh wait, he must have hit the call button.

“Are you alright?” There was still fear, but also worry now.

“Why’da hafta…” Younghyun’s head was swimming. He couldn’t think straight. Was he speaking in English? “I miss you…”

“Are you drunk?” Jae asked, resisting the urge to scream ‘I miss you too’ as loud as he could because GOD he missed Younghyun.

“Jus… jus a lil bit,” He giggled. He was more than just a little drunk but it was okay. He felt better. “I didn mean to call. I’m…. I’m mad achu.”

“I know you are, and I’m sorry.”

“You- you fuckin done did it man.” Younghyun slurred, unable to focus on the words dripping from his lips.

“You probably won’t believe me - or even remember this in the morning - but I swear I didn’t do what they’re saying. I never touched that trainee, it was an accident. And- and I NEVER would have done anything to hurt you. What they’re saying… it’s not true. I never g-groomed you,” His voice cracked. He had looked up what it was and almost threw up. “I loved being around you, and I loved seeing you smile. All I ever wanted to do was see you smile. I want to take care of you and make you happy.”

“Jae… what happened? Why does e’reyone think you’re some kinda… bad guy?” He stared up at the ceiling, the room spinning as he talked to his phone.

“I’ll tell you, but promise me you’ll call me tomorrow and let me explain again when you aren’t drunk,” He waited until Younghyun made a sound of agreement before continuing. “The boy, he fell and hurt his ankle. I tried to help him up but fell. His friend saw and thought I was taking advantage of him because of the angle and ran out. I explain everything to their manager, and the boy backed me up, but someone twisted the story and leaked it to the media to defame me and the company. We’re working on catching the person who did this, but we can’t find reasonable evidence to arrest him.”

“Why though?”

“Why what?”

“Why would someone do that?”

“We think it was either a professional reason or a romantic one.” Jae said, not caring that JYP had told him very sternly that no one was to know about this. If spilling all of his secrets meant being able to talk to Younghyun again, he wouldn’t hold anything back.

“Rom-romam-romantic?” Younghyun tripped over the word. Jae smiled at that, not bothering to stop himself since it was a voice call, not a video call.

“They think that the suspect has feelings for me, and when I didn’t return them they wanted to hurt my career. The professional side is that they think this person is threatened by me, or that they think I stole something from them and want to get revenge or something. We’re working on figuring out which motive it is so we can get him.”

“How do I know you’re tellin the truth?” Younghyun turned onto his side, his stomach lurching at the movement.

“What can I do to convince you?”

“Hhnngg,” Younghyun groaned - thinking was so difficult. “Send me… one hundred dollars!”

“You want me to send you… money?” Jae was confused.

“If you- if you really mean it send me moneny.” Younghyun giggled. A few seconds later, his phone buzzed. The sound got his drunk mind to focus for a moment and he checked the notification, his jaw dropping.

“Did you get it?” Jae asked, the call still going.

“Wha- the fuck did you do that for?” Younghyun felt like his eyes were spinning, like cartoons do to show confusion. He was so, so drunk and he was really starting to feel it.

“Too much Jaeeee. Too muuuuch.”

“I needed to make sure you knew I was serious.” Jae smiled at the whining tone of the boy’s voice.

“A thousands of dollars is too much.” Younghyun tried to send it back but it was hard to focus on the little text.

“You’re so cute when you’re drunk,” Jae couldn’t help himself. “Your English is cute to begin with but when you mess it up it’s even cuter.”

“I’m not cUTE. I’m sexthy.” Younghyun couldn’t help but giggle again, letting his head roll from side to side, feeling dizzy and light.

“You certainly are,” Jae agreed with a laugh of his own. “You’re amazing.”

“I miss you hyung…” Younghyun’s giggle morphed into a sob. Tears streamed from his cheeks, soaking into the fabric of the couch as he sniffled pitifully.

“I’m so fucking sorry you got caught up in all of this,” Jae sounded close to tears himself. He hated - but also cherished - how weak Younghyun made him. “I never wanted you to get involved in all this bullshit.”

“Come over.” Younghyun whispered, sniffling again.

“What?”

“Please? I need you.” He choked out a small sob and Jae was already putting his shoes on.

“I’ll be there soon kitten, don’t worry,” He said soothingly, his heart ripping itself to pieces as he listened to Younghyun cry. “Please don’t cry baby. I’m on my way.”

“Please hurry.” Younghyun cried, hugging the couch pillow.

“I’m on my way.” He said. Younghyun whimpered and whispered a goodbye before hanging up. Part of him knew he needed to plug his phone in but the majority of him was still too drunk to focus enough to do that.

He tried to stand, only to fall heavily back onto the couch. His fingers slammed on the corner of the coffee table and he cried out, holding his hand close to his chest and cried more. He glared at the table, only for his face to relax when he realized he still had a few sips of soju left in his final bottle. Tossing it back as if it was water, Younghyun fell back onto the couch.

Time had no meaning, and suddenly there was a loud buzzing. Younghyun groaned and stumbled to the intercom, slapping the button to unlock the front door, unlocking his own door and slumping back on the couch before the world started spinning any more.

“Younghyun?” Jae said gently as he pushed the door open. Younghyun groaned from the couch and Jae went over, crouching in front of the younger boy. “Wow, you’re really drunk aren’t you?”

“No…” Younghyun denied, unable to focus his eyes on Jae’s face inches from his own.

“Let me get you some water.” Jae stood, only to stop when Younghyun’s hand tugged his own.

“Don’t leave me alone.”

“I’m just going to the kitchen,” Jae felt his heart skip a beat. “I’ll be right back.” Younghyun let go of his hand and Jae quickly grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before going back to crouching in front of the boy.

“I’ve missed you hyung.” Younghyun whispered, his eyes slipping shut.

“I’ve missed you too.” Jae brushed Younghyun’s bangs from his face. The boy opened his eyes at the touch and smiled brightly. Jae blushed at how a simple smile was enough to turn him into a stumbling mess.

“Hyung, I’m sleepy.” Younghyun whined, his pout piercing Jae directly through the chest.

“Let’s get you to bed.” Jae smiled softly as he helped Younghyun stand. The boy instantly leaned into his side, and Jae felt a tear run down his cheek. He knew he missed Younghyun, but having him in his arms again made him realize just how much he needed Younghyun in his life.

He helped Younghyun into his bed, placing the water bottle on the side table. Just as he was about to leave, Younghyun caught his sleeve again.

“Please don’t go.” He said, his eyes barely open.

“Scoot over then.” Part of Jae told him it would be a bad idea, but he was more than happy to ignore that part of him as he slid into bed next to Younghyun. The boy instantly curled into his side, half laying on Jae’s chest and resting his head in the crook of the man’s neck. Jae felt Younghyun sigh happily as he relaxed into his arms again.

“Younghyun-” Jae tried to say before a pair of lips were on his. Younghyun didn’t kiss him hard, or rough, but it made Jae’s heart thump loudly. He tasted like soju and tears, and Jae couldn’t help but lean into the kiss, wrapping his arms around the boy tighter.

“I’m sorry I got mad,” Younghyun slurred letting his head fall back down. “I was just scared.”

“I know love, it’s okay.” Jae smiled and kissed Younghyun’s forehead.

“Thank you for coming.” Younghyun was falling asleep quickly.

“I’d do anything for you.”

“I love you.” Younghyun breathed before completely falling asleep. Jae froze before pulling Younghyun even closer to his chest. He was going to have to do a lot of explaining in the morning, and he prayed sober Younghyun would believe him like drunk Younghyun did. Now that he had his Younghyun back, Jae wasn’t about to let him slip away again.

“I love you too.” He whispered before letting himself drift off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always love writing dialogue for drunk people. I think it's cute when they mess up words haha 
> 
> Jae and Younghyun have made up! Well, sort of. Now Jae just has to convince sober Younghyun which might not be as easy.


	9. Chapter 9

Younghyun woke up and instantly wished he was dead. He told himself he wasn’t going to drink all the bottles in the fridge - that he was going to drink half and save the other half for the next night - but judging by the way his head pounded and his stomach churned he went and drank every damn bottle. Like an idiot.

He tried to sit up, only to feel something pinning him down. His heartbeat sped up as he glanced over, only to have his heart drop when he saw who was sleeping next to him.

Jae was still passed out cold, breathing softly. Younghyun felt a flare of anger for a moment, but there was something so soothing about having Jae so close, and being as hungover as he was having Jae close made the dull throb in the back of his head lessen. He took a deep breath, looking carefully at Jae.

He never noticed how long the man’s eyelashes were, or how perfectly they brushed against his cheeks, or the freckles sporadically dotted across his neck and collarbones. Any anger he felt building in his chest quickly faded as his lips turned up slightly. He gently rolled out from under Jae’s arm and went to the bathroom working hard to keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged.

Bits and pieces of the night came floating back to him as he brushed his teeth, and he wondered how much of his memories were actual memories and how much were dreams that just seemed just a little too realistic.

He remembered wanting to call Jae, but not actually talking to him. He assumed he called the man because there were no texts since he cut Jae off, and he knew Drunk Younghyun wasn’t thorough enough to erase messages. He didn’t remember Jae coming over, but he vaguely recalled the feeling of being upset then happy. Upset because of something Jae told him? Happy because of something Jae told him? He couldn’t remember. Splashing cold water on his face cleared his head a little more, but didn’t help distinguish memory from dream anymore than thinking really hard did.

He sipped at some water, willing his stomach to calm down. He knew throwing up would make him feel better, but it always left him with a nasty headache. He’d rather deal with nausea than a pounding skull. He took a shot of chalky pink from the bottle he stored in the mirror cabinet and instantly felt a little better.

Sighing, Younghyun knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep so he made his way out of the bathroom and to the kitchen to make himself some coffee and maybe toast if he felt he could stomach it.

He froze when he realized there was someone else in his kitchen. Jae also froze, the bottle of water almost to his mouth. The man’s eyes widened comically and he slammed the bottle down as if he was caught doing something bad.

“I-” Jae floundered, looking almost scared. The idea that Jae was scared of Younghyun of all people made the younger chuckle.

“Morning,” He said simply, his voice still low from sleep. He opened the fridge and sneered a little. “Gotta go shopping.” He muttered to himself.

“I can go if you want me to-”

“It’s buttfuck early,” Younghyun didn’t look at the man as he took out what little milk they had left in the fridge. “I’m not that much of an asshole. I’m not going to make you take the walk of shame just yet.”

“You-” Jae spluttered, his face lighting up at what Younghyun was implying. The boy snickered as he popped in a coffee pod, throwing back some painkillers as he waited for the water to heat up.

“To be honest,” Younghyun started, pouring sugar into his mug. “I barely remember anything from last night. I feel like I’m dying, and you’re standing in my apartment which leads me to believe something happened after I got drunk enough to forget.”

“Well, you called me around midnight,” Jae said, not looking at Younghyun as he stirred his coffee. “You asked me to come over. I didn’t really know what to do because you made it clear you didn’t want anything to do with me before… but then you started crying and I just- I came over as fast as I could.”

“That’s embarrassing.” Younghyun muttered almost casually. He took a sip from his mug and stuck his tongue out at the temperature. Jae couldn’t help but smile a little at the face the younger made.

“I came over and explain what happened. Drunk you seemed to take it well.”

“Explain to hungover me what happened too,” Younghun sat at the counter that sometimes served as a kitchen table. “He feels left out and curious as to why he didn’t kick you out the second you walked in.”

Jae flinched a little. “Long story short, a trainee fell and hurt his leg. I tried to help him up but also fell. His friend saw our… position and thought I was taking advantage of him. Told their manager, but the boy and I cleared things up. Unfortunately, someone in the company wants me gone, so they escalated the rumors and exposed everything to the media. We’re working to find out who it was, but we’re missing solid evidence to arrest the guy we think did it. As for the comments about you, I never meant for you to get hurt. I never tried to t-train you to depend on me. I know you’re independent, and honestly one of the most bull headed people I know - and that’s saying something seeing how my only other friends are Sungjin and Wonpil.”

Younghyun watched Jae squirm as he talked, focusing more on the man’s body language than his words. It was an oxymoron, watching a man as tall and long as Jae talk with such timid gestures and hunching his shoulders to look as small as possible.

“You know what?” Younghyun said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “I’m tired of being angry and sad all the time.”

“What?” Jae asked, not entirely sure what the younger meant. Younghyun opened his eyes and raised a single eyebrow, making Jae flush a little.

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” Younghyun clarified, trying not to smile as how bright and hopeful Jae suddenly looked. “I missed you, and I hated feeling fucking lonely and pathetic. I’m… I guess I’m just too hungover to think too much into it. My stomach hurts, my heart hurts and I just want to be held.”

“I promise I’m going to make this up to you,” Jae rushed forward and scooped the smaller boy into his arms. Younghyun leaned into his touch and clung to the man’s shirt as if he was about to disappear. “I promise.”

“Don’t fucking leave me,” Younghyun cursed, his eyes burning as his stomach cramped. He wanted to throw up and cry and go back to sleep, but all of those wants were trumped by the want to be comforted. “Please…. Don’t leave me alone.”

“Never.” Jae kissed the top of Younghyun’s head, smiling softly as he hugged the boy even tighter.

* * *

  
“So what now?” Younghyun asked, leaning against Jae’s chest. They hadn’t left the apartment yet, opting to get delivery for lunch. Dowoon had texted his roommate a few hours before, saying that he was going to be home the next day. Younghyun really didn’t have a problem with that - he was still lowkey convinced this was a dream, and that he was going to wake up alone again, so he was taking advantage of the time he had.

“Well, we can finish those leftovers.” Jae suggested, gently playing with Younghyun’s hands as he talked.

“I meant with your company and everything, but food also sounds good.” Younghyun chuckled a little, smiling softly as Jae laughed with him. He felt the vibrations from Jae’s chest go through his own body and faintly wished he could live in this moment forever.

He felt awful, having gotten so mad at Jae. He was honestly confused as to why the man even gave him a second chance after the awful things he had said - after accusing him of something so unforgivable on top of what he was already being framed for and ignoring him and refusing to let him explain. If he were Jae, he would never have forgiven him.

“We’ll figure out what to do when we get there,” Jae said softly. He had only been speaking softly since Younghyun woke up, as if he was in the presence of something holy or precious. “Are you okay? You look a little constipated.”

“Pfftt,” Younghyun laughed, his eyebrows relaxing. He turned to look at Jae, his eyes looking sad as he took in the man he was being held by. “I was just thinking.”

“A dangerous pastime.” Jae commented, earning another snort.

“Hyung, why are you being so nice to me?” He asked, almost afraid of the man’s answer. Jae blinked at his, pondering the question for a moment. He leaned down and kissed Younghyun’s forehead.

“Because you deserve to be treated well,” Jae said, smiling warmly. Younghyun felt his cheeks heat up. “And because when I’m around you, I feel at ease.”

“But… But I was so bad to you…” Younghyun hated how his eyes burned. “I said such awful things and- and…”

“You were hurt, and scared,” Jae placed gentle kisses across Younghyun’s cheek and nose. “I don’t blame you for getting mad. Honestly, I’m just so grateful you let me redeem myself. I would have done anything to get you back.”

“That’s stupid….” Younghyun muttered, his cheeks lighting up. His heart soared at Jae’s words - he had a feeling Jae cared for him, obviously, but hearing the man say it in front of Younghyun made the boy feel… warm.

“I really am sorry baby,” Jae peppered even more soft, barely there kisses to Younghyun’s face. Younghyun preened under the attention. “I never, ever wanted you to get wrapped up in this bullshit. I wish I could have… hid you away from everything and bought you all the pretty things because you’re so pretty and only deserve the best in life. You don’t deserve to be dragged down because of my mistakes.”

“It was an accident hyung,” Younghyun soothed the man. Jae gave a shuttery sigh as he curled into Younghyun. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I had to have done something,” Jae muttered into Younghyun’s shoulder. “I- I had to have done something to upset someone this badly. Maybe in a past life I killed someone or something-”

“You could never do anything that deserves this,” Younghyun twisted his torso and cuped Jae’s cheeks with both of his hands. “You’re a good person, and we’re going to clear this up and show everyone what I already know.”

“Oh god,” Jae whispered, heat streaming down his face. He nuzzled into Younghyun’s hands, coating the boy’s fingers with the tears. “Oh god I love you.”

“I-” Younghyun felt his heart skip a beat.

“Thank you Younghyun,” Jae didn’t wait for the boy to say anything in response to his confession. “ I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’m sorry I left you alone,” Younghyun felt the guilt gnawing away at him. He really messed up, didn’t he? “You don’t have to be alone ever again.”

Jae’s arms tightened around Younghyun’s waist as he kissed the boy. The kiss tasted like salt and trust, and Younghyun leaned in needing more. Jae was more than willing to comply, pressing kiss after kiss onto the younger boy’s mouth.

“I love you so much.” Jae murmured against Younghyun’s lips, again leaving no room for a response.

* * *

  
“Are you sure this is okay?” Jae asked nervously.

“I was the one to ask to do this,” Younghyun took Jae’s hand in his. “I’ve been wanting to see you work for a while now. I wanna see the magic happen.”

“If you wanted to see magic we could have stayed in your bed.” Jae muttered, still looking a little out of place in the lobby of the company building. They were already getting weird looks from various employees, the whispers already starting up.

Younghyun made eye contact with a young woman as the two men stepped into the elevator. She had been openly staring, but nervously looked away when she realized she had been caught.

They rode up to Jae’s studio silently, the woman getting off two floors before their stop. Younghyun stepped closer to Jae as soon as they were alone in the elevator, wrapping his arm around the man’s waist and resting his hand on Jae’s hip. Jae felt tense under his touch, almost to the point of shaking. He didn’t relax much as they left the elevator, or when he opened an unmarked door in the hallway.

Jae’s studio was almost exactly what Younghyun imagined it to be. Papers scattered around - tucked under the keyboard, covering the corkboard with several layers, even taped to the wall when the corkboard ran out of room. The trashcan was overflowing with take out wrappers and empty bags of various candies. There was a small couch with a pillow and a thick blanket strewn over it as if Jae had only haphazardly tried to fix up his makeshift bed before running out. There was a mini fridge tucked under the desk, humming softly and Younghyun could only guess what the man kept in it.

“So this is where the magic happens?” Younghyun smirked a little as he went closer to the corkboard, reading some of the random lines scribbled onto the torn out notebook paper. He recognized some of the lines from songs that had been produced, and there was something special about being able to see this part of the process.

“You make it sound like I perform miracles in here.” Jae laughed, relaxing a little only after the door was closed tight behind them.

“I mean, producing songs in general seems like a miracle,” Younghyun slowly turned and grinned slyly at the man, who suddenly looked a little flushed. “I wonder what other miracles you could perform in this room.”

“Ah-” Jae’s slight flush exploded into a full blush.

“You’re so cute hyung.” Younghyun’s grin faded to something softer as he moved in and placed a kiss on the man’s cheek. As he pulled back, Jae caught his waist and pulled him back into his chest.

“You’re even cuter,” Jae kissed the corner of Younghyun’s mouth gently, almost so the kiss was barely there. “In fact, you’re the cutest.”

“Hyung-” It was Younghyun’s turn to blush as Jae swallowed whatever else he was about to say with a deep kiss. He bit Younghyun’s bottom lip gently, tugging it enough to make the boy open his mouth. Jae’s tongue wrestled with Younghyun’s, the younger quickly giving in.

Jae’s hands snaked around Younghyun, one hand resting on the boy’s hip and the other going lower to cup his ass firmly. Younghyun’s breath hitched, not expecting it but certainly not upset by the touch. His hands went up to steady himself on Jae’s upper arms as he leaned into the kiss even more.

Younghyun shifted, letting his hardening cock brush against Jae’s thigh. It was Jae’s turn to gasp into Younghyun’s mouth, his hands tightening on the boy.

Jae moved, gently throwing Younghyun down on the couch and hovering over him, his heart beating fast as he took in how disheveled the younger boy looked, his black hair falling into dark, lust filled eyes. Jae pinned Younghyun’s shoulder with one hand as the other ran along his jaw. He moved in to kiss Younghyun again, only to feel Younghyun’s lips tense against his.

Jae pulled back, noticing how Younghyun was frozen under him.

“Love, what’s wrong?” He asked, helping Younghyun sit up. He watched as Younghyun curled into a ball, wrapping his arms around his knees. Jae noticed how Younghyun made a point to leave a space between then.

“I’m sorry.” He muttered after a few minutes of silence, sounding close to tears.

“What-what are you sorry for?” Jae was conflicted. Was Younghyun afraid? Of him?

“For freaking out,” Younghyun refused to look at the man. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for baby,” Jae sat next to Younghyun and pulled him into his chest. “You did nothing wrong. I shouldn’t have pushed you-”

“No!” Younghyun looked up quickly and almost slammed his forehead against Jae’s. “I do want to! I just-”

“Look, you really don’t have to explain. Whatever you’re comfortable with, that’s what we’ll do. I’ll never push you into doing something you don’t want to do.” Jae really didn’t like how Younghyun seemed to shake even more in his arms.

“I just… I want to. I really do,” Younghyun finally looked away from Jae, who rubbed his back gently. “Last time, in your apartment? I really liked it. I REALLY liked it! I just… I can’t- I can’t helpless. I just can’t. If I feel like I have no control, I freak out and tense up and I can’t think right. I swear it wasn’t anything you did.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was one of your exs?” Jae asked, trying to keep the rage from building in his chest. Not anger at Younghyun, obviously, but anger that his Younghyun felt this way.

“Yeah.” Younghyun whispered. Jae’s rage flared again. He wished he could have the opportunity to meet the person that hurt Younghyun and give that person a piece of his mind - and a solid punch to the nose.

“Younghyun,” Jae kissed his temple softly. “You never, ever have to be afraid around me. You can take charge from now on if it makes you comfortable. I’d do anything for you.”

“You’d be willing to let me take charge?” Younghyun smirked a little, his eyes still watery and the smile wobbly.

“I haven’t bottomed in a few years,” Jae said easily, chuckling a little at the heat radiating off Younghyun’s ears. “It might take me a little while to get use to again, but it won’t be so bad if a strong, handsome young man like you is the one pinning me down-”

“Hyung!” Younghyun cut him off, his cheeks on fire and his eyes wide. Jae chuckled again and kissed his cheek gently.

“Come on, let me show you some songs I’m working on,” He stood and walked over to his desk, pulling out the chair and sitting back down before opening some files. He turned to look at Younghyun before patting his lap. “I think you’ll like some of these.”

Younghyun smiled shyly as he sat on Jae’s lap. Jae wrapped his one arm around Younghyun’s waist and used his other hand to control the mouse. He clicked on the song he was almost finished, before everything went to shit. In all honesty, Jae hadn’t been working on music as much as he said he was. Instead, he had been hold up in his studio, desperately trying to think of the words to say to Younghyun.

Jae played the song, nodding his head and tapping his fingers as he watched the bar move. He wasn’t happy with it yet - it was getting there, but it needed a lot more work before it would be good enough to send over to the group he was writing it for. When the song was over, Younghyun tilted his head and grinned brightly at the producer.

“I love it hyung,” He said, his eyes shining with excitement. “The bridge is so unique.”

“I’m pretty proud of that part, but there’s still a lot to do with it before it’s good enough,” Jae pointed to a section of the song with the cursor. “I want to add something at this bit, but so far nothing really fits right. I thought maybe I needed a harmony, but the higher line just sounded… out of place.”

“Is this for a girl group or a boy group?”

“Girl group. This isn’t their debut track, but it’s going to be on their debut setlist.”

“What about a lower harmony? Are any of the girls an alto?” Younghyun suggested. As a bass player in his spare time, he grew to appreciate the lower lines of songs - teaching himself the bass parts and making up his own harmonies in his lower register.

“As far as I know, the lowest register is still too high to make a proper harmony.” Jae muttered, tapping away with his free hand. The thumb resting on Younghyun’s side was gently rubbing the skin where his shirt had ridden up some.

“Maybe have the harmony be part of the track rather than part of the vocals?” Younghyun suggested, hoping he was saying something that made sense to the man. Sure, he had tried his hand at writing music, but it was nothing compared to what Jae does.

“That might work,” Jae muttered, his eyes glued to the screen but his hand still rubbing comforting circles onto Younghyun’s side. “I’ll have to ask Sungjin to come in and record again though. His voice is lower than mine-”

“I can do it,” Younghyun said abruptly, interrupting Jae. “I mean, if you wanted me to. I’ve been told I have a wide range, and I’m already here… I don’t mind recording for you…”

“You sure?” Jae asked. “Recording sucks. It’s genuinely the worst. It’s the main reason I stopped training and became a producer. I couldn’t stand being in those cramped booths for hours on end.”

“Well, it would only be for a little bit cuz I’d only be recording a few lines,” Younghyun said, innocently fiddling with the buttons on Jae’s shirt. “Besides, you’ll give me a reward for helping you, right?”

“You want a reward?” Jae asked, raising one eyebrow. “Well, only good boys get rewards. Are you a good boy?”

“Only when I want to be,” Younghyun bit his lip and lowered his eyelids, fighting a grin as Jae’s ears reddened. “Do you want me to be your good boy, hyung?”

“I-” Jae floundered for a moment before his stomach growling broke the atmosphere. They both jumped at the sudden noise, laughing and standing. Younghyun instantly missed the warmth of sitting on Jae’s lap, but didn’t have much time to pout because Jae’s hand was holding his. “Let’s go to the cafe. They just started selling these fancy paninis.”

“Sounds good to me.” Younghyun smiled and let himself be led from the studio back to the elevator. He knew where the cafe was, seeing how the front part was open to the public while the back part was reserved for JYP staff only.

As they went, neither noticed eyes watching them. Neither heard the scoffing of the person, or the growl of anger rising in their chest.

The figure turned and went in the opposite direction, a fire burning in their eyes. How dare Park Jaehyung be happy and laughing when he ruined their life? They would make Jaehyung pay, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was talking to someone about this, but I base a lot of Younghyun's reactions off of how I would react to those things seeing how he's supposed to be a 21 year old college student and I actually am a 21 year old college student haha if I woke up and saw my not-ex-sugar-daddy while being insanely hungover, a fight is the last thing I would want to deal with. I'd want to be help honestly
> 
> A lot of people have been guessing who's gonna top who and no one's guessed the path I'm planning on going yet! Don't worry though, I'm planning on revealing that little twist next chapter (Probably) 
> 
> If you have any questions about plot or notice any inconsistencies LMK and I can either clear things up or go back and fix stuff!


	10. Chapter 10

“You’ve lost weight.” Jae commented as they sat down with their food. He had added a few extras to their order because Younghyun’s rounded cheeks were sunken in and his wrists looked more fragile than before.

“I’ve been working a lot,” Younghyun said, digging into his meal with gusto. “I don’t get to take my breaks most of the time so I’ve been eating about a meal a day.”

“That’s not good,” Jae frowned, pushing a bowl of fruit towards the boy. “You have to take care of yourself.”

“I needed to throw myself into something,” Younghyun put his sandwich down slowly. He didn’t look at Jae. “I needed to get away from my own thoughts.”

Jae looked away, a sour feeling stirring in his stomach. It was his fault, he realized. It was his fault that Younghyun looked so thin. He gave the boy the pickle that came with his sandwich. Younghyun noticed Jae not so slyly adding food onto his plate with a small smile. The two ate in silence for a moment, simply enjoying each other’s company.

“Jae!” A familiar voice called over, breaking that comfortable silence. Before they could pinpoint where the voice was coming from, Jamie sat down in the chair next to the man.

“Jamie? What are you doing here?” Jae asked, smiling wide.

“What? I can’t come eat at my own company’s cafe?” She huffed, sipping from her drink. The whipped cream was mixing with the ice, the coffee itself almost gone.

“You never come out here,” Jae countered. “You always say it’s not worth coming out to the main building when there’s a convenience store down the road from the salon.”

“Yeah, well I had some business to take care of.” She said easily, but Jae frowed.

“What kind of business?” He asked carefully.

“If you think I was snooping around to see who was blackmailing you, you’re absolutely wrong,” She looked pointedly at the ceiling as she finished her drink. “I would never.”

“Jimin-”

“Look, I got sick and tired of hearing these whispers about you,” She dropped the sly act and turned to Jae fully. “We both know they aren’t true, but no one else believes us yet. I might not work in the main building, but I hear plenty from the customers at the salon and I think I might know who it is.”

“Wait really?” Younghyun asked suddenly. He had been trying not to butt into their conversation, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Well, I have reason to believe it’s the guy I’m thinking of,” She said, leaning in so only Younghyun and Jae could hear her. “Do you know who JYP thinks it is?”

“He’s been keeping me in the dark with this,” Jae sighed and picked at this plate. “He thinks if I know who they think it is, I’ll act suspicious and they’ll catch on that we’re catching on or something.”

“That’s stupid.” Jamie pouted, slurping her empty cup mindlessly.

. “Yeah, well, I was hold it was going to be cleared up soon. I just want this to be over with. I’m fuckin tired of having so many eyes on me at all times. I’m a producer not an idol. I shouldn’t be in the media like this.”

“It’ll work out hyung,” Younghyun said, reaching across and taking Jae’s hand. Jae smiled softly and moved his hand so his fingers were laced through Younghyun’s. “We’ve got your back.”

“Thanks guys,” His eyes were suspiciously glassy. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Younghyun felt a stab of guilt but he buried it down. After they woke up in his apartment, they went back to Jae’s and spent the rest of the day catching up and recovering, mostly on Younghyun’s part. In that time, Jae made Younghyun promise not to blame himself. Jae understood Younghyun’s mentality, understood why the boy acted the way he did. He even said that he would have probably done the same if he was in Younghyun’s situation.

“Um,” Younghyun shook himself from his own thoughts. “Did you want to do that recording thing today?”

“Oh, so you roped him into it this time?” Jamie smirked and Jae shook his head with a smile.

“Not today,” He said, sounding lighter. “I still have to write the actual harmony now that it’s an option. It shouldn’t take me long, but I have better things to focus on today.” He looked at Younghyun, his eyes turning up. Younghyun felt his cheeks light up as he finished his meal. He didn’t know where to look, since looking at Jae made him flustered.

“Aw cute.” Jamie reached over and stole the pickle off Younghyun’s plate. Jae started to protest but Younghyun just handed her a napkin to go with it. He appreciated Jae’s efforts to get him to eat more but he was very full.

“He is, isn’t he?” Jae hummed, resting his chin on his hand. Younghyun blushed hotter.

“I take it back,” She took a loud bite of the pickle with a scowl. “Y’all are disgusting I want new friends.”

“You love us.” Jae poked her cheek with a laugh. Younghyun felt his chest warm. He hadn’t been part of their lives for long, but both Jae and Jamie seemed to include him as if he had been their friend for years.

“I have to go, but it was good seeing you again,” Jamie stood. Younghyun and Jae both stood as well, gathering their garbage and walking with her to the trash can. “You should come by the salon more often.”

“I will,” Jae smiled and kissed her cheek softly. “Thanks for caring about me.”

“I couldn’t not care, even if I wanted to.” She laughed and pulled Younghyun into a hug, surprising the boy. He only hesitated a moment before returning the embrace. He felt her give him an extra little squeeze before letting him go and swinging her purse over her shoulder.

“Bye noona.” Younghyun said, smiling at how Jamie’s cheeks warmed.

“You make me feel old.” She muttered, making them both laugh. She said her goodbyes and headed out, leaving Jae and Younghyun alone.

“That was nice.” Younghyun said, his stomach gurggling as the food settled. Jae raised an eyebrow at the sound, his mouth quirking up in the corner.

“Yeah, I feel bad that we don’t get to hang out that much anymore.” He took Younghyun’s hand and tugged him towards the elevator again.

“Why is that?”

“I… I guess I kind of isolated myself for while,” Jae said honestly as the elevator whirrled to life. “For a long time I couldn’t bring myself to reach out and stuff. I was… tired. All the time. Jamie and I met back when I first came here for training. She made fun of my glasses and said I looked like an actual chicken. We clicked instantly.” He laughed.

“Glad to know what kind of friendship you guys have.” Younghyun snickered. He could definitely see Jamie saying that to Jae - especially baby Jae fresh from LA.

“She was the first friend I made here,” He opened the door to his studio. “Sungjin I knew from beforehand but Jamie was the one that got me out of my shell-”

“Oh my god…” Younghyun tried to pull Jae behind him but the man was frozen.

The studio had been trashed. The papers that had been haphazardly taped to the wall were ripped to shreds and scattered on the worn carpeting. The makeshift bed had been ripped, knife lines destroying the blanket and pillow. Feathers and fluff almost blended in with the paper pieces.

“What the fuck?” Jae whispered as he brushed some scraps off his desk. The computer hadn’t been touched, but they both had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. Jae booted it up and collapsed onto the floor.

It had been wiped. Every file, every backup, every autosave. It was all gone. Even Younghyun could feel his legs turn to jello at the sight of the blank screen. He couldn’t even imagine how Jae must be feeling.

“I have- I have to call JYP-” Jae’s voice shook. Younghyun felt his eyes burn at how the man’s words trembled.

“It’s going to be okay hyung.” Younghyun said, kneeling and pulling Jae into his lap.

“It can’t all be gone,” Jae whispered, trying to use his phone but his hands were shaking so badly that he kept mistyping. “It just can’t be.”

“Let me do this, okay?” Younghyun took Jae’s phone and hit call on the contact ‘Padre JYP’. In any other situation, Younghyun would have laughed at the contact name but laughing was the farthest thing on his mind.

“Jae? Is something wrong?” JYP picked up just before the call went to voicemail. “You know calling isn’t the best way to reach me-”

“It’s gone…” Jae suddenly burst into tears. Younghyun froze, the sounds of Jae’s cries breaking his heart.

“What’s going on?” JYP sounded worried.

“Someone broke into his studio,” Younghyun took over the call, holding the phone in one hand while the other wrapped around Jae’s waist. “Everything’s trashed and his computer was wiped.”

“And who are you?”

“Kang Younghyun. I’ms Jae hyung’s… friend.”

“Security is on their way. Was anyone hurt?”

“I don’t think so. Hyung is freaking out because of the computer thing though.”

“Someone from IT will check it out. The chances that whoever this is managed to wipe everything is very low. Hopefully we’ll be able to recover some of the files.”

“Thank you.”

“Get Jaehyung out of the company building. Wait until security comes. They’ll escort you to the front doors and will wait with you until you can get a taxi. I don’t want Jae in any more danger. We played it coy because we didn’t want to escalate the situation but this is gone too far. We’re taking action starting now.”

There was a knock at the door, and three security guards let themselves in. Their eyes widened at the extent of the damage. One said something into his walkie talkie when he noticed the knife marks on the blanket.

“Come on hyung, let’s go home.” Younghyun helped Jae stand. The man leaned on Younghyun, seeming lifeless as he was walked to the elevator.

Younghyun couldn’t blame him. Everything he had been working on - all the files from the past and half finished projects that may never be recovered. Younghun held Jae close the entire way home.

* * *

  
“Hyung, let’s get changed. We can take a nap, okay? Wonpil texted you and I told him what happened. He’s ordering us dinner for later.”

“What if they can’t recover the files?” Jae asked, his head hidden in his hands. He hadn’t said more than half a dozen words since they let the building and to say Younghyun was worried would be an understatement.

“Then we’ll lock ourselves in your studio and we’ll make even better songs.” Younghyun rubbed the man’s back gently.

“You’d do that?” Jae looked up, his eyes red.

“The building is open twenty four hours right?” Younghyun asked. Jae nodded, looking away. “Perfect. We can do a song writing marathon. We can take turns napping and getting food and we can sneak down to the gym together to shower. I bet between the two of us we can fix everything in a single weekend.”

“You must think we’re miracle workers,” Jae chuckled a little. “It took me months to even get as far as I did. I lost hundreds of songs. Everything I’ve done in the past five YEARS was saved on that computer.”

“We’ll figure something out hyung,” Younghyun kissed Jae’s forehead. “I’m here for you. I’ll make sure everything works out.”

“I love you.” Jae whimpered, curling into Younghyun’s chest.

“I love you too hyung.” Younghyun whispered before kissing the man in his arms. The kiss was soft, pouring all the love and support Younghyun could possibly fit into a single gesture and giving it all to Jae. Jae sniffled as he pushed up into the kiss, tears wetting both their cheeks.

“Younghyun-” Jae pulled back a hairsbreadth when he felt the boy’s hands playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Do you want me hyung?” Younghyun asked, feeling breathless. Jae froze, widening the gap between them to stare into Younghyun’s eyes.

“I-”

“Only if you want to.” Younghyun kissed the corner of Jae’s mouth.

“You said last time-”

“Let me take care of you, okay?” Younghyun purred, and how could Jae say no to that?

“Please.” Jae closed his eyes and let Younghyun take charge of the kiss. Younghyun laced his fingers through Jae’s fading blue locks, tugging just hard enough to get him to open his eyes again.

“On the bed hyung.” Younghyun said gently. Jae nodded and quickly threw himself down on the covers. Younghyun moved over the man and kissed him, pushing him into the duvet. He made quick work of Jae’s shirt, instantly moving down to mark up his pale chest.

Jae, surprisingly, was a very vocal partner. Younghyun remembered the first time, where Jae bit back as many sounds as he could. This time, however, Jae didn’t seem to want to hold anything back and Younghyun loved it. He wanted to hear all the beautiful sounds Jae made because of him.

Jae had his eyes shut tight, so he didn’t notice when Younghyun slipped out of his clothing. He only realized when he felt hot skin against his own. His eyes flew open and his blush deepened when he saw Younghyun sitting back and straddling him, his one hand disappearing behind him while the other came forward to take Jae’s.

“Are you…?” Jae’s mind was static as he watched Younghyun’s face twist in pleasure. A moan slipped from his red lips and he rode his own fingers. Jae sat up and started kissing along Younghyun’s collarbones.

“Ah, Jae-” Younghyun gasped as Jae bit a particularly deep bruise on to his neck.

“You’re so beautiful.” Jae whispered, licking the bruise.

“Fuck-” Younghyun gasped as he hit his prostate harshly.

“I love you.” Jae buried his face in Younghyun’s neck and Younghyun whimpered, taking his fingers out.

“I’m ready if you are.” He gasped out, his legs shaking from how badly he wanted to feel Jae fill him.

“Are you sure?” Jae asked, hesitating.

“Please hyung,” Younghyun whined, rutting against Jae’s thigh. “I want to make you feel good.”

“Let me get the condom-”

“No condom.” Younghyun said, opening his eyes and looking down at Jae, who frowned a little.

“No, condom,” Jae retaliated, pulling a silver square from his bedside table and easily slipping it on. “This is our first time, and I’m not going taking any chances. I can’t hurt you again.”

“You won’t hurt me.” Younghyun’s heart swelled.

“Better safe than sorry.” Jae kissed him gently as Younghyun lined himself up. He sunk down, throwing his head back as Jae opened him up in ways his fingers never could. It took him a few minutes before feeling his hips hit Jae’s, and he couldn’t stop a tear from running down his face.

He moved slowly, waiting for the burn to fade. He swiveled his hips, milking moan after moan from Jae. leaning down, he kissed the man as he started to pick up the pace. He bounced, his bangs flopping in his eyes as sweat started to coat his skin.

“Shit, Younghyun,” Jae’s eyes rolled back as Younghyun rolled his hips just right. “God fuck, you’re amazing.”

“Do I feel good hyung?” Younghyun punctuated his question with a fast drop. “Does your kitten make you feel good, daddy?”

“Shit!” Jae couldn’t hold back. He thrusted up, causing Younghyun’s eyes to fly open.

“Do that again,” Younghyun ordered, and Jae was more than willing to oblige. He pounding up into the younger, grunting and cursing as Younghyun tightened around him. “Fuck- hyung! Shit!”

“Are you going to cum for me?” Jae asked, his own bangs falling in his eyes. He wanted to brush them away but he couldn’t for the life of him take his hands away from Younghyun’s hips. “Is my pretty boy going to cum on my cock?”

Younghyun didn’t even have time to respond before he spilled onto their bare chests. He collapsed, laying heavily on Jae as the man chased his own orgasm. Jae thrust into his limp body, the younger jerking and whimpering at the overstimulation.

Jae groaned loudly as he came, his vision going white as he dig his fingers into Younghyun’s hips. He let out a shaky breath as he opened his eyes and met Younghyun’s gaze.

He smiled at the boy softly and kissed him, their lips touching carefully.

“I love you.” Jae whispered, his smile growing at Younghyun kissed the corner of his mouth again.

“I love you too,” Younghyun smiled as he kissed down Jae’s neck. “And as much as I love this, we should wash off.”

“You’re right,” Jae sat up, Younghyun’s chest still flush against his own, the boys legs straddling him. He slipped out of Younghyun, who groaned at the feeling, and threw out the condom. Even though Younghyun had done most of the work, Jae’s legs were still shaking as he stood. Younghyun took a little time to get off the bed, limping the slightest bit as they made their way into the bathroom.

Jae warmed the shower water as Younghyun pressed his cheek against the older man’s shoulder blade, his arms lazily wrapping around Jae’s bare waist. Younghyun was so warm that it lulled Jae into zoning out. He almost forgot about the shower until the water started to burn his fingers.

“Here love.” Jae fixed it and washed Younghyun gently. He briefly thought about how Younghyun was going to smell like him now, and that realization made his heart swell. He made Younghyun his, and god did it make his chest feel whole.

The water felt so nice that they took their time in the shower. They kissed slowly, letting the hot water hit their backs as they lost themselves in each other. By the time they got out, their fingers were wrinkled and the shower was ice cold.

They stumbled back to the bedroom to see the sheets had been changed. There was a note on the pillow.

_“You’re lucky I checked the bedroom before leaving. Dinner is in the kitchen. Don’t have too much fun tonight ;) You’re going to have to be able to walk in the morning. -Wonpil”_

“That little shit.” Jae grinned as Younghyun covered his face.

“Oh god I can never look him in the eye again.” The boy groaned, trying not to imagine Wonpil’s face when he walked in and saw the state of the bed. Jae laughed and tossed Younghyun a pair of clean boxers.

“Trust me, I could tell you some shit about him and Dowoon-”

“I don’t want to think about Wonpil and Dowoon doing ANYTHING,” Younghyun scowled as he put on the boxers. “He’s my little brother. I don’t want to believe he knows what sex is yet.”

“He’s only a year younger than you.” Jae looked at the boy with an amused smirk.

“It’s the principle, hyung,” Younghyun ran his hand through his damp hair. “He’ll always be a baby to me.”

“You’re so cute,” Jae moved and hugged Younghyun from behind. They were both starving, but standing like that seemed like the most amazing idea imaginable. “Thank you Younghyun.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Younghyun smiled and turned in Jae’s arms so they were face to face. He kissed Jae’s nose gently.

“After what happened today… you being here saved me. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to go through this alone,” Jae smiled, but it looked sad. “All of this, honestly. All this scandal bullshit… you’ve been my strength through everything.” He nudged Younghyun’s nose with his own, placing soft kisses wherever his mouth touched the other’s face.

“I’m always here for you hyung,” Younghyun whispered, tearing up at the raw emotion in Jae’s voice. “I love you so much.”

“What did I do to deserve you?” Jae said, almost more to himself than to Younghyun.

“You were you,” Younghyun smiled and kissed the man properly. “That’s all you ever had to do. Now come on, I can hear your stomach growling. Let’s get some food and go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be exhausting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power bottom Younghyun! How many saw that coming? XD 
> 
> I'm hoping to update a little more frequently, and I have a bunch of ideas lined up so look forward to a lot of new shit from me!


	11. Chapter 11

Jae walked into the building with his chin held high. Younghyun followed not even a step behind him, looking around carefully. He was going to make sure nothing went wrong today. This was the moment of truth.

They marched straight to JYP’s office, not knocking as they threw the door open. JYP was sitting at his desk with three police officers waiting for Jae to arrive.

“Good, you’re early,” JYP said, his hands folded on top of some papers. “We have to have a discussion before we make any accusations but by the end of the day this is going to be taken care of.”

“Why did it take Jae almost being attacked before things started being taken care of?” Younghyun asked, cocking one eyebrow. JYP’s mouth turned down. Before Jae could say anything, the other man spoke up.

“Because we didn’t want to escalate anything. As of yesterday, it was nothing more than rumors being spread. If we tried to apprehend the culprit before this, the public would have blown that out of proportion as well. I’ve been in this industry for longer than you’ve been alive, Kang Younghyun. I know exactly what would have happened. We were going to wait until we had concrete evidence so we couldn’t be accused of forcing the trainee to say what we want, or be accused of throwing the person under the bus just to clear Jaehyung’s name. Without solid evidence, our suspicions couldn’t be acted on because it would have put Jae - and the company - at more risk.”

“Is there any progress with my files?” Jae asked, sounding a little desperate. JYP smiled sadly.

“Some,” He said, nodding his head slightly as he talked. “We’ve managed to recover some of the files that had been saved on the hard drive, as well as all of the things you saved online, but even that’s only a third of what we believed was on there.”

“That’s… better than nothing.” Jae’s voice was clipped.

“So what’s going to happen now?”

“We’re going to take some statements from Jae, and then these nice gentleman here are going to escort our friend for interrogation. We’re going to hold them in one of the empty studios, because taking them out of the company building would cause attention that we absolutely cannot handle.”

“So-”

“It’s alright Younghyun, I’ve got it from here,” Jae smiled and kissed the boy gently on the cheek before turning to the officers. “What do you need from me?”

“We just need your side of the story sir,” The one said, pulling out a tape recorder. “Tell us what happened from the moment you noticed this happening, and any other details that might help like anyone who might have a motive and why.”

“The whole thing started because one night, a trainee got hurt…”

* * *

  
“Noona? What are you doing here?” Younghyun frowned a little. He had left Jae in the office to finish up his report and went to SoulCup to get them both some coffee. He knew he needed it, which meant Jae probably needed it even more.

“Younghyun! How’s Jae?” Jamie ignored his question, worry written plainly across her face.

“He’s talking with the police now,” He grabbed some extra napkins. “He was real messed up yesterday but I got him home and calmed him down. He seemed pretty confident this morning. I just hope everything works out.”

“I bet… I was freaking out when I heard what happened. I can’t even imagine how Jae took it all,” She bit at her thumb nail. “Do you know who they think it is yet?”

“Nope, I left to get coffee before they arrested the guy- sorry, apprehended him.” Younghyun made a face as he corrected himself.

“Do you know where they’re taking him?”

“One of the empty studios,” Younghyun pushed the button to call the elevator. “I don’t know when they’re going to-”

Just then, a mob of people ran past them. Younghyun watched with wide eyes, noticing a few officers as well as some security going after someone who looked no older than he was. He and Jamie blinked comically at each other, not really sure what had just happened. Jamie frowned and turned back to Younghyun.

“Get to Jae,” She said stiffly. “I need to do something.”

“Where are you-”

“Don’t let him be alone right now.” She didn’t let him finish before turning and running in the direction of the people.

Younghyun hesitated, not sure if he should follow after her or go up to Jae. He could feel Jae’s coffee was getting cold in his hand so he quickly got on the elevator and went up to JYP’s office.

Jae wasn’t there when Younghyun pushed open the door. He put one of the cups down on the empty desk and checked his phone. There was a single message from Jae, telling him they were already in the studio room with the suspect. Younghyun sighed a little, slipping his phone into his back pocket and grabbing the coffee again. He made his way down to the floor with the studios and looked for the room number from the text.

Even without the room number, he would have found where he needed to go easily. He could hear the shouting all the way from the elevator, even though the rooms were supposed to be at least mostly soundproof.

He hesitated outside the door, contemplating how to hook the handle with both hands full, when said door flew open. It barely missed smacking Younghyun square in the face, the boy holding the cups close to his chest to protect them.

The security guard that threw the door open muttered an apology before rushing past Younghyun, who slipped into the studio. Around the soundboard was Jae, two officers and a company security guard. JYP was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t much of a surprise to Younghyun. In the recording booth was boy that looked around his age, who was screaming and spitting curses. He wasn’t restrained, but he wasn’t leaving the chair provided for him.

“Hyung.” Younghyun said softly, getting Jae’s attention. The man turned and his face instantly softened. Just as he was standing, there was a commotion at the door.

“Here! I finally caught him,” Jamie said, panting and pushing another young man forward. “This is the asshole that’s been fucking with you.”

Everyone in the room blinked at the boy, whose head was hung in shame. Younghyun glanced behind him to the boy in the recording booth, who was suddenly suspiciously silent. There was a standoff between everyone in the room, glancing between the two boys but not saying anything.

“Am I the only one that’s confused?” Jamie broke the silence, narrowing her eyes as she looked from her suspect to the other one.

“No, I’m definitely confused too.” Younghyun said, one eyebrow touching his hairline.

“Goddamnit, I told you not to get caught.” The boy in the booth growled. The boy by Jamie seemed to slink into himself even more.

“I’m sorry hyung,” He said softly. Younghyun didn’t even know if the first boy could hear them from the other side of the glass. “They were faster than I thought they would be.”

“So, partners in crime?” Jae suggested, sounding tired.

“Why did you do this?” The one officer asked the boy in the booth, who scowled and pointedly didn’t say anything. The second boy, by this time, was crying and shaking.

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, and Jamie couldn’t help but place a hand on his shoulder. Younghyun realized, after hearing the boy’s voice, that there was no way he was older than sixteen. He was just a kid. “I didn’t want to get involved but-”

“Don’t tell them anything!” The first boy shouted.

“We got caught hyung! There’s no point in hiding anything!” The younger boy shouted, raising his voice for the first time. It was obvious by the way the first boy blinked in surprise that his friend wasn’t the type to yell.

“Just tell us what happened and Jaehyung can decide if he wants to press charges.” The second officer said, somewhat softly.

“He- He ruined everything!” The first boy shouted. Jae flicked on the recording button and the red light above the door lit up. “He cut my lines in our debut track! Because of him, I have to work twice as hard to get half the recognition that the others get! I work my ass off and I get nothing because he- he’s a homophobic asshole! He cut my lines because I’m gay! He should be the one arrested for discrimination!”

The room was silent for a moment before Younghyun almost doubled over in laughter. He finally went over to Jae and handed him the coffee cup.

“Damn hyung, you should have told me you were homophobic before,” He felt tears threatening to fall as Jae wrapped his arm around his waist The man kissed his cheek and Younghyun could feel him holding back his own laughter.

“That would definitely make this relationship a little weird, wouldn’t it?” His poorly restrained laughter broke through his words.

“What-?” The first boy stared at them, his face paling.

“It would be a little hypocritical of me to be homophobic seeing how I have a boyfriend that I love very much,” Jae said smoothly and Younghyun blushed. While they had said the L word to each other, this was the first time the B word was being used. Younghyun really liked it when it came out of Jae’s mouth. “Why did you think that was the reason I cut lines?”

“B-because! As soon as I was outed, you changed our debut track! You cut my rap in half and fucked me over!” The boy was crying at this point, and Younghyun couldn’t help but feel bad for him. In his eyes, he was the one wronged.

“Wait, are you… fuck I remember you,” Jae’s eyes widened. “I… shit kid, I didn’t cut your lines because of anything like that. I didn’t even know they were your lines. I was just told to break up the rap. I didn’t know who was singing what parts when I did it…”

“You-”

“I’m sorry kid,” Jae genuinely felt guilty. He knew what it felt like to be excluded and pitted against because of sexuality. He couldn’t even imagine how much bullshit this kid must have gone through. From the way he worded it, it sounded like he hadn’t wanted to come out, but was outed by someone else on top of everything. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“Son, can you tell us what you did?” The first officer asked. The boy deflated more. The younger boy rushed away from Jamie and ran to the booth, where he wrapped his arms around his friend. It suddenly made a little more sense.

“I… I spread rumors around the company,” The boy started, the fire from his voice gone completely. “Exaggerated what happened to turn everyone against him. I got my b-boyfriend to help me do it… rumors coming from two sources seem more believable. I leaked the rumors to the media so it would get out to the public. Yesterday I snuck into his studio and trashed it. I knew you guys were on my tail, and I… I needed to do something. Hurt him as badly as he hurt me. I wiped the computer and left. What I didn’t expect was that you knew he was involved too,” He turned to the younger boy and kissed him sadly. “I’m sorry I got you involved in this. I was just so- so fucking angry.”

Younghyun knew he wasn’t supposed to be listening to this part of the confession, but he couldn’t stop himself. After everything that happened, he needed to know everything.

“That’s all we needed,” The second officer said before turning to Jae, who’s hand was still comfortably around Younghyun’s waist. “It’s up to you now. We have enough evidence to take him away, which we recommend for your own safety.”

Jae was silent. He was staring at the two boys - huddled in each other’s arms and crying. The elder of the two was shaking and whispering apologies, which the younger was trying to comfort him. He stared at them, but Younghyun could tell he wasn’t seeing them. Jamie came over and placed a hand on Jae’s arm, breaking him from his thoughts.

“You don’t have to do that,” She said softly. “Having them be arrested is only one option.”

“What if he gets hurt though?” Younghyun countered. Sure, he didn’t want to see these boy’s lives be ruined from a misunderstanding, but at the same time one of them had a knife and Jae’s safety was more important than anything.

“I- I can’t do that to them,” Jae’s eyes were glassy. “They’re so young, and- and I know how scary the world can be. They were just trying to find some sort of equality…”

“Hyung-” Younghyun started, only to be silenced by a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“I’ve made a decision,” He said loudly enough for everyone to turn and look at him. The two boys looked terrified - pale and shaking, as if Jae was about to decide their fate with a single thumb. “I’m going to drop any charges.”

“Are you sure?” The officer blinked, shocked. Younghyun heard a thump and looked over to the booth, where the older boy had fallen from the chair and was hunched on the floor. The younger boy held him tightly. They were both crying.

“They aren’t bad kids,” Jae said softly. “They were hurt, even if it was unintentional on my end. I’ll drop the charges, on a few conditions.”

“Wh-what conditions?” The older boy asked, looking scared again. Younghyun could only imagine what sort of horrible scenarios were playing through his mind.

“First, you have to help up clear up this entire scandal to the public,” He said, sounding slightly stern. “It’s going to long, and difficult, but I really do think we can fix this. Secondly, I’m going to have a talk with you two and the rest of your members.”

“My members? Why?”

“Someone outed you, and that’s not acceptable. I’m not your manager, but I’m pretty damn high in the ranks. I have the right to lecture you if you fuck up.” Jae answered, a smile tugging at his lips as he saw the look of disbelief on the boy’s face.

“Any other conditions?” The officer asked, glancing between Jae and the boys.

“One more,” Jae nodded, his mouth turning down again. “He has to be pulled from promotions for at least one comeback.”

“You can’t do that-” The boy yelled before his boyfriend calmed him.

“You’re not ready to be in the public eye yet,” Jae crossed his arms. “Until you’re ready, you’re going to be coming to me and we’re going to work through these issues you’ve bottled up.”

“I-” The boy started to protest when he realized this was his only chance to continue his dream. He tightened his hands into fists and sighed. “I agree with your conditions.” He said, sounding only slightly angry.

“Good,” Jae grinned and clapped once. “I think it’s time we all go home. It’s been a long fucking day and it’s only… two.”

They filed out of the room, the security guard escorting the boys back to their dorms, and the officers going to the elevator to return to the station, leaving the three alone in the hall. Jae, Jamie and Younghyun waited until everyone was out of sight before letting out the breath they didn’t realize they had been holding.

“That was…” Younghyun started.

“A mess.” Jamie finished with a breathless laugh.

“God, I feel awful…” Jae ran his hand through his bangs. “I had no idea… talk about bad timing on my part.”

“You just said it yourself, you didn’t know,” Younghyun took Jae’s hand in his own. “And even if you did know, you still have to follow instructions. What could you have done if you knew?”

“I… I guess you’re right,” Jae sighed again, leaning into Younghyun’s comforting warmth. “The most I could have done was apologize. I couldn’t not switch the line distribution.”

“Exactly,” Jamie wrapped her arms around Jae’s waist and rested her chin on his chest to look up at him. “You did what you could. This isn’t your fault.”

“Besides, you did the right thing with those boys,” Younghyun placed a soft kiss on Jae’s neck. “You’re amazing hyung.”

“I feel drained.” Jae laughed slightly, feeling exhausted.

“Let’s go home.” Younghyun offered, and Jae smiled at how the younger called the apartment ‘home’.

“You guys get out of here,” Jamie said, pulling away from the group hug. “There was something I wanted to talk to someone about, and my window is getting smaller.”

“Thanks guys,” Jae whispered, his eyes tearing up again. “I couldn’t have done this-”

“You absolutely could have done this without us. You’re that amazing,” Younghyun cut his boyfriend off. “But I’m glad I was able to help a little.”

“I love you.” He kissed Younghyun’s lips quickly.

“Ugh go be cute somewhere else!” Jamie scowled, but they all knew she was happy for them.

“See you around Jamie,” Jae grinned and kissed her cheek. “Let’s make Wonpil order us lunch again.”

“Sounds good.” Younghyun laughed as he took Jae’s hand. It really did fit perfectly in his own, didn’t it?

* * *

  
“I can’t believe Jamie noona is going on a tour.” Younghyun commented easily. In the time since that day in the studio, Jamie had agreed to signed a contract. Something about Jae owing her a song. She was a hit instantly, not that anyone was surprised.

“I’m gonna miss her.” Jae sounded distracted.

“Are you okay?” Younghyun asked, looking strangely at Jae. They had been dating for a year and a half, and while Jae liked to celebrate anniversaries, he was acting someone stronger than usual for their one point five.

“Perfect!” Jae grinned, hiding his shaking hands in his pockets. Younghyun smirked and shook his head before going back to fixing his hair in the mirror. He had only moved in with Jae a few months before, after graduating from school. Dowoon still had the apartment, and alternated between there and Wonpil’s place. They were about to celebrate their official one year soon and Younghyun was helping his friend plan something special.

“Ah, your phone is ringing.” Younghyun said as he tilted his head side to side, making sure his hair and makeup was perfect. Jae quickly answered and left the room.

“Sungjin, is everything set? Jae asked, his nerves leaking into his voice.

“Why are you so nervous?” Sungjin asked, sounding amused. “You know he’s going to say yes no matter what. You could propose at a McDonald’s and he’d say yes.”

“I know, but he deserves it to be perfect,” Jae smiled softly. “Are the reservations set?”

“For seven, in the backroom of that stupid fancy restaurant you like so much.”

“Oh god I just thought of something,” Jae’s stomach dropped. “Younghyun said when we first met that he didn’t like fancy things. What if he’s uncomfortable at the restaurant?”

“Wanna ask Wonpil to change the reservations?” Sungjin asked, wanting to help his friend. While Jae was one of his best friends and he only wanted the best for him, it was times like this that the manager wanted to smack him.

“No! Maybe? Should he? We could- could go back to the ramen place…”

“Jae! He’s going to love wherever you take him,” Sungjin’s voice softened. “You’re just stressing yourself out.”

“Ah, I KNOW I just-”

“Is everything alright?” Younghyun poked his head out. Jae froze, grinning awkwardly, his phone still against his ear.

“Younghyun!” His voice went up an octave. “I just-”

“Ask him where he thinks you’re taking him.” Sungjin whispered.

“So, where do you think we’re going for dinner?” Jae asked, not understanding why Sungjin told him to ask that. Younghyun thought for a second before answering.

“Are we going to that lobster place on the boardwalk? I know you’ve been wanting to go there, and the last time we went it was amazing.” Younghyun said, looking at Jae with warm eyes. Jae thought he felt an arrow pierce his heart all over again.

“There, that’s where he wants to go.” Sungjin was a smart man, Jae had to give him credit.

“Finish getting ready, okay? We’ll leave in a little bit.”

“Was I right?” Younghyun asked, grinning excitedly.

“Who knows~” Jae answered cheekily, kissing Younghyun before the younger went back to their shared bedroom. “How did you know that?”

“That’s how I get you guys to decide where to eat,” He answered honestly and Jae was floored. Now that he mentioned it, Jae recognized that trick being used on him by the other man all the time. “Anyway, you need to call Wonpil and get your reservation cancelled before it’s too late.”

“Shit you’re right,” Jae cursed and checked the time. “Thanks man, you’re a real lifesaver.”

“As long as I get to be the best man, I’d do anything.” Sungjin laughed.

“Of course,” Jae’s chest fluttered at the thought. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Are Dowoon and Wonpil still going to hide and film it?”

“Hopefully. I have to let them know the change of plans.”

“Okay, go!” Sungjin laughed again and Jae hung up before shooting a text to the secret group chat consisting of himself, Wonpil, Sungjin and Dowoon. He explained everything and got two responses - a thumbs up from Dowoon and a strongly worded paragraph from Wonpil for changing plans so suddenly, which ended with a ‘we’re on our way see you there’.

“Are you ready?” Younghyun came back out, shoes on and jacket draped over his arm.

“Let me grab my camera real fast.” Jae smiled softly. He loved Younghyun so much.

“Oh, it’s going to be one of those dinners.” Younghyun laughed but moved so Jae could get into the bedroom.

The man grabbed his camera case and carefully slipped a small black box into the main pocket. He specifically took out his long range lens to make sure there was room for it, not that he would be needing to take and distance pictures.

The only thing he ever wanted to photograph was right within arms reach.

He swung the bag onto his shoulder and grabbed his keys before going out to Younghyun. He kissed his boyfriend deeply before taking his hand.

“Do you love me?” Jae asked, a twinkle in his eye. Younghyun snorted a little but humored the older man.

“I do.” He said, and Jae thought he could cry. The words were so beautiful coming from Younghyun’s perfect lips, and Jae knew they would be even more beautiful at the altar.

“Good, because I love you too,” He grinned and kissed Younghyun again. “Now let’s go. I’m starving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk about bitter sweet :') I've had this idea for a long time, and honestly the plot evolved so much it's nothing like the story I originally planned. My first idea was going to more focused on their sexual relationship - I wanted to work with triggers during sex and other emotional moments - but I really love how this came out. 
> 
> I'm going to miss this, but I say that about every fic I write XD I always get so attached that I hesitate to write the final chapter. I don't want to see it end even though I have a library of other fic ideas piling up! 
> 
> Thanks everyone who read and enjoyed this! Writing it was honestly so much fun and who knows? Maybe I'll do another fic similar to this? Maybe from Wonpil and Dowoon's POV?

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in my notebook for a while and I can already tell this is going to be a lot of fun to write!


End file.
